Can USF Football Rebuild Its Winning Legacy in the 2023 Season?

I remember sitting in Raymond James Stadium back in 2016 when USF football was riding high - that magical 11-2 season under Willie Taggart that had us all believing the Bulls were becoming a genuine football powerhouse. The energy was electric, the stands were packed, and you could feel something special building in Tampa. Fast forward to today, and that question keeps nagging at me: Can USF football rebuild its winning legacy in the 2023 season? It's a question that reminds me of how quickly fortunes can change in sports, something I've observed across different athletic disciplines.

Just last month, I was following the V.League women's volleyball season in Japan, and the parallels to USF's situation were striking. Minowa's Denso Airybees managed to eliminate de Guzman's squad in the quarterfinals - a respectable achievement showing how a well-organized team can punch above its weight. But what really caught my attention was Madayag's Kurobe Aqua Fairies finishing 12th out of 14 teams with that dismal 15-29 record. Watching them struggle through the season reminded me so much of USF's recent campaigns - talented individuals who just couldn't put it together consistently. That 15-29 record translates to a .341 winning percentage, numbers that would make any USF fan shudder given our recent history.

Looking at USF's current situation, I've noticed several fundamental issues that need addressing. The offensive line has been, frankly, a disaster - allowing 38 sacks last season while generating only 2.8 yards per carry. Those numbers won't win you many games in the AAC. Defensively, we've been consistently gashed for 35+ points against competent offenses, and our secondary has looked lost in coverage far too often. But what concerns me most is the recruiting - we're consistently losing local talent to UCF and even some Group of Five programs. I was talking to a high school coach in Hillsborough County last month who told me three of his best players never even got a serious look from USF, and all three ended up at competing AAC schools.

The solution isn't just about changing coaches or schemes - though those help. It's about rebuilding the entire culture from the ground up. When I look at successful turnarounds, they usually start with establishing a clear identity. For USF, that means deciding what kind of football team we want to be and recruiting specifically for that system. We need to own Tampa Bay again - there's too much talent in our backyard heading elsewhere. The new NIL collective shows promise, but we're still playing catch-up to programs that recognized this reality years earlier. Facilities upgrades are nice, but they mean nothing if we can't develop the players we have. I'd love to see USF implement the kind of developmental program that turned around programs like Cincinnati - focusing on specific traits rather than just chasing stars.

What gives me hope is that we've seen this program succeed before. That 2016 season wasn't ancient history - many of the building blocks that created that success are still theoretically in place. The Tampa market remains fertile ground for recruiting, the conference situation has stabilized somewhat, and there's genuine fan passion waiting to be reignited. But it requires patience and smart decisions - not the quick-fix mentality that has plagued us in recent years. I'm cautiously optimistic about the 2023 season, but my expectations are measured. Realistically, we're probably looking at a 6-6 season if everything breaks right, which would represent significant progress. The path back to relevance is there - we've seen other programs walk it successfully. But it requires everyone from the administration to the fans being aligned and patient through what will likely be some growing pains. The foundation needs to be poured correctly this time, because another quick rebuild attempt could set the program back another five years.