Although Austin and Columbus made the loudest bang coming to the 2025 season, the underdog was quietly grinding it out in Florida. But Tampa has had enough, “This ain’t the same ol’ South Florida, my brother,” the Bulls faithful rolled. And Nick Saban is nodding along. Plucking an old chapter from his book, he has confirmed Alex Golesh‘s burning drive that has got the fanbase rolling. They beat the odds and defeated the Gators with an 18-16 thriller at the Swamp, as the nearly 90,000 people zoomed into the trenches to witness Golesh’s redemption arc.

The South Florida Bulls are going 2-0 into the 2025 season, entering the national conversations. They beat Boise State and fabled Billy Napier’s Florida Gators, something that none expected. Last season, they tasted defeat by the Navy, 7-28 loss, Tulane, and others, overall wrapping up with a 7-6 record. But this season, Saban is convinced of Golesh’s burning drive to lead the Bulls to the epicenter of college football. And he came with an interesting take on USF’s performance…

“I think that all those guys playing out there against Florida, playing for South Florida. They all wanted to play for Florida. So they’re trying to prove something,” Nick Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. Fueling their chip on the shoulder’s motivation, they’d go down into the trenches and be an absolute rolling ball. “I do think this team buys into what their coach wants them to do. They got lots of grit, they play hard, they overcome a lot of adversity. If you look at them statistically… they are not ranked high in any category… The rest of it is not that impressive except the competitive spirit and the grit they play with,” Saban added.

“They got some passion about what they’re trying to do, and they’ll be the same way in Miami.” Coming up next, Alex Golesh is going against Mario Cristobal’s Miami. Last year, the Hurricanes beat the Bulls 50-15, shutting them off in the second half. But the past disappointment is what’s fuelling the Bulls’ momentum.

Golesh inherited a 1-11 program, building it up brick by brick, and now, he is ready to roll. The showdown at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium saw to that. The legend further admitted that the Bulls are pumped up with grit and are dialed in with their coach. Speaking of statistics, the Bulls are not at the top of the charts in any category. But their grit and competitive spirit carry them forward. “Not trying to base it off on the red zone they score in the red zone,” Saban added.

They seem to be able to toss out plays in the critical moments. Not to forget the last moment 20-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica that capped off the victory for the Bulls, and that speaks volumes about Coach Golesh’s burning drive to rewrite the narrative. With the victory over the Bulls, holding a rare advantage that Tampa rarely witnesses, Golesh is brewing big, and his star quarterback is in the spotlight.

Alex Golesh is brewing big

“A bunch of guys that bought into a vision when it wasn’t super cool,” said an emotional Alex Golesh, beaming proudly at his locker room. The Bulls are ranked for the first time since 2018, and with the rare advantage of winning over the Gators, they are an early favourite to reserve a seat for the Group of 5 automatic berth into the College football playoffs. And in his scheme of things, Byrum Brown is a key explosive weapon.

“Byrum is such a unique football player,” Golesh said of his prized quarterback on the Triple Option podcast. “This kid has grown tremendously. His process is so consistent, like from Sunday at 10 A.M. to what Friday night at 11 P.M. looks like. It’s the same every single day, and he keeps asking questions.” In 2023, he was one of the two quarterbacks who recorded 3,000+ yards and rushed for 800+ yards. The other quarterback was Jayden Daniels, who is presently with the Washington Commanders.

Alex Golesh continued. “And he’s so curious about, is there a way to make this better? Just truly about his process, both physically, mentally, when he got hurt last year, the next morning, 10 A.M. Sunday, here he comes, walking in this time of practice, and never, never wave, continue to leave, continue to grow.” Last season, Brown sustained an injury, a broken left leg to be exact. But he bounced back, stronger than ever, clocking in a 22.5 mph running speed. He stole the spotlight, down the trenches, and the head coach is going optimistic forward.

So, can Brown’s grit beat Carson Beck‘s offense? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.