South Florida is the one job Deion Sanders might reconsider if USF makes the call originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Three years ago, USF almost pulled it off. They nearly landed the most electric coach in the sport. Before Colorado. Before the national cameras. Before the weekly spectacle. Deion Sanders stood between two choices. Colorado and South Florida. The Bulls made a real push. They believed he could build something explosive in Tampa.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe picked Colorado because of Rick George. Because the leadership felt aligned. Because the vision felt real. That foundation is now gone. George is stepping away, and Sanders has been blunt in recent weeks. Money is a problem. Support is a problem. NIL is a problem. For a program with more national exposure than nearly anyone in college football, the fundraising failures have been impossible to ignore.
USF cannot promise unlimited resources, but it can give Sanders the one thing he has never stopped talking about. Florida. He loves coaching Florida players. He trusts Florida players. He recruits them every chance he gets. Of Colorado’s ten commitments for 2026, three are from Florida. Only one is from the state of Colorado. And the class sits in 98th overall on 247’s rankings. USF, without the noise, without the cameras, is currently 58th.
At some point, fit matters. Sanders insists he can elevate Colorado, but Boulder may never fully align with his blueprint. This business is about winning. And the path to the playoffs is clearer in the American than the Big 12. In a 12-team bracket, a strong American champion has a direct ticket. If expansion comes, that path only widens.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUSF also has a long game to play. A Sanders commitment would instantly strengthen their ACC ambitions. The Bulls will open their new stadium in 2027. They want an identity. They want a program builder. They want someone who changes the room the moment he walks into it.
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And if reports are true and Golesh is headed to Arkansas, South Florida becomes one of the most intriguing jobs in the country. And there is one coach who might actually take the call.
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