When USF Bulls’ kicker Nico Gramatica kicked that fourth-quarter field goal in Gainesville to seal a statement 18-16 win for the program, all attention turned to Billy Napier. Headlines dominated how the head coach is now “officially” on a hot seat, with some analysts outright declaring the head coach to be walking on thin ice. However, on the field, accompanied by the University police, ran Alex Golesh, not in a celebratory fashion, but with a low-key grin on his face, knowing full well that Florida was just the start for USF.

Born in Moscow on June 24th, 1984, in the Soviet Union (now Russia), Alex Golesh is probably the most unexpected man coaching football. Because if you stop any random person in Russia, Tom Brady would rarely be their answer to football’s GOAT. So, coming from a country that barely knows American football, to becoming the brand new giant killer of college football wasn’t an easy feat. Moreover, for Alex Golesh, it was a Herculean challenge, too, as he had to escape the war-torn Soviet Union and start from scratch in America.

Golesh appeared on the Triple Option podcast with Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone as he described his parents’ unexpected journey of moving out of the Soviet Union after it fell in 1991. “My parents are Russian, and when I was seven, so 1991, that was that period where the Soviet Union fell, and they were letting people get out, and my aunt was in New York, my mom’s sister. And as long as you had somebody who could sponsor you, they’d let you out,” described Golesh and told how their family’s lives were pretty great financially in the Soviet Union, but when they came to America, they arrived with just $400 and a few suitcases.

“My parents, incredible people, selfless people, left literally every single thing they had behind. And I have an older brother, who’s a couple of years older than I am, literally got on a plane and came and started from scratch. And my family had, as I understand it, really good lives over there. But they knew that wasn’t what they wanted for their kids,” recalled Alex Golesh. Golesh also told how his dad used to drive a “box truck” for a long time, and his mom “literally cleaned houses” to make a living after moving to the United States. But now, Alex Golesh is the “darling” of the college football world right now!!

For those who might have thought the Florida game to be a fluke for Golesh, he steamrolled another ranked team in Boise State, 34-7, the same Boise State that earned a playoff berth last year, and whose running back Ashton Jeanty was a Heisman finalist. Of course, it’s a long journey with games like Miami still in the pipeline in Week 3, but considering the dominance USF is showing, Miami would surely play on its toes. That said, all of this wasn’t a day’s work for Golesh as he had to overcome extreme challenges after coming to USF.

In Alex Golesh, USF’s whole hierarchy trusts

When Golesh arrived at USF in South Florida, the program had just had 4 wins in the last three seasons, with the team being torn to its roots. For instance, Golesh described how there was no consistent meal schedule, along with training rooms being shared by athletes. Not just that, the team traveled on a low-key airline, with barely functional air conditioning, and the team’s NIL budget was less than what teams like Ohio State offer their special teams players ($250,000 to be precise). But the head coach had a plan!!

“Alex inherited the worst program in America,” said USF’s chair of the Board of Trustees, Will Weatherford. However, since Alex Golesh had a plan that involved a “process-driven culture” prioritizing daily habits and teamwork over instant results, the Board invested heavily in the program. “We’ve invested more in our football program over the last three years than in the previous 20-25. We’ve gone all-in,” said Weatherford. And all of it shows on the field now. The goal then for Alex Golesh is to probably make USF a perennial G-5 powerhouse like Boise State and potentially even earn an ACC invitation.

“I think when you buy into a process, and you buy into working extremely hard at something without worrying about the end result, it allows you to have peace with your daily life,” said Alex Golesh about his end goal with USF. Surely now, after decimating Boise State and Florida, USF looks ready for the next Miami challenge against Mario Cristobal. Apart from that game, considering their recent performances, the rest of the games look like a cakewalk!!