The fourth-year junior has proven he’s NFL-caliber, but would he benefit from another year with the Bulls?
USF coach Alex Golesh, left, talks to quarterback Byrum Brown during a game in October at North Texas. “He’s gonna be a pro, he’s gonna be a pro for a really long time,” Golesh said Tuesday of Brown. “It’s just a matter of, is it right now?"
USF coach Alex Golesh, left, talks to quarterback Byrum Brown during a game in October at North Texas. “He’s gonna be a pro, he’s gonna be a pro for a really long time,” Golesh said Tuesday of Brown. “It’s just a matter of, is it right now?"
They’ll have their well-earned day in the sunset Saturday evening.
Several of the 30 USF seniors who will be recognized prior to kickoff against Rice persisted through wretched autumns and a regime change, helping the program evolve from punchline to playoff contender in three seasons.
“I tell these guys every Friday night how grateful I am for them,” said third-year coach Alex Golesh, who meets personally with his players — just him and the team — on the eve of every game.
“Grateful for the guys that stayed, grateful for the guys that chose to come. I don’t know if I ever look at it like we inherited them, because when I got here it wasn’t cool to stay. Like, if you could get out, you were getting out. And there’s a handful of guys that said, ‘You know what, we believe in the message,’ or ‘Heck, we just like going to school here.’”
Yet nestled amid the pageantry and parents and poignance a senior night brings lurks a burgeoning story line impossible to ignore, involving an upperclassman not set to be recognized.
Technically, quarterback Byrum Brown’s senior night is slated for 2026, but will he be around for it?
“He’s gonna be a pro, he’s gonna be a pro for a really long time,” Golesh said Tuesday. “It’s just a matter of, is it right now? Is it a year from now? And he’ll make the right decision for him.”
![Byrum Brown needs only 117 passing and 96 rushing yards Saturday against Rice to become just the 12th player in Football Bowl Subdivision history to post 3,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Byrum Brown needs only 117 passing and 96 rushing yards Saturday against Rice to become just the 12th player in Football Bowl Subdivision history to post 3,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.
A year ago at this time, Brown’s future seemed murky. A breakthough 2023 season had been followed by an erratic start to 2024. Then a broken leg sidelined him the last eight games. No one on the outside knew the severity of the injury or its effect on Brown’s psyche. Would he be the same dual-threat dynamo upon his return? Would he return at all?
Today, the 6-foot-3, 232-pound fourth-year junior is among the favorites for college football’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. The offensive linchpin and de facto poster child for process-driven success, he had USF (8-3, 5-2 American) on the cusp of the College Football Playoff as recently as mid-November and has entered the fringe of some Heisman discussions.
With 117 passing and 96 rushing yards Saturday, he’ll become only the 12th player in Football Bowl Subdivision history to post 3,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Pro Football Focus currently gives him an offensive grade of 91.2, which ranks 11th of 329 quarterbacks and has him slightly ahead of Heisman candidates Fernando Mendoza of Indiana (90.6) and Oregon’s Dante Moore (90.4).
“I’ve been fortunate to be around some really, really good ones in their own unique ways, guys that are playing on National Football League teams,” Golesh said.
“Byrum, his ceiling is crazy high. It’ll be fascinating to watch him as he continues to grow, and I’m excited to continue to be a part of that journey. He’s a special football player, special human. Relatable in every way. You wouldn’t find one guy on that team that’s not like, ‘Man, that’s my dog.’”
Which leads to this crossroads, or at least some conversations. As the new year dawns and draft analyses intensify, where will Brown be slotted? How will the Kipers of the world assess his hip swivel, patience through progressions and other minutiae indigenous to such assessments? He has put an embarrassment of riches on tape. Does he need to compile more?
![Byrum Brown, shown running for a touchdown against Boise State in August, is among the favorites for college football’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and has entered the fringe of some Heisman discussions.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Byrum Brown, shown running for a touchdown against Boise State in August, is among the favorites for college football’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and has entered the fringe of some Heisman discussions.
“Byrum’s highly intelligent,” Golesh said. “He’s got an incredible support system with his parents. He’ll make the right decision. And if he values my opinion, I’ll give it, but I’d want to get more educated. The draft class has a lot to do with it, the need in the draft has a lot to do with it. So there’s more factors than just, ‘Is he ready?’”
Indeed, the 2026 class seems more QB-rich than its predecessor, in which only three quarterbacks were chosen in the first 40 picks. Whether that weighs into Brown’s decision remains unclear; he wasn’t made available to reporters during USF’s weekly news conference.
A move to Power Four prosperity for his final season seems unlikely. USF is believed to be among the Group of Five leaders in name, image and likeness revenue, and Brown’s betrothal to Golesh and the university appears solid.
The logical approach at this point seems to allow the draft process to play out.
Which befits a process-driven prospect.
“Whether ready to go, I think that’s something that you sit down when it’s over, and he would be the first to tell you those conversations are for when the season ends,” Golesh said.
“You sit down and you get real, real evaluations from professionals in that league. You consult with people that are professionals at it — us included, myself included — and you make the best choice. And the choice that I’m going to make or help make for every young guy in this program is whatever’s best for them.”
Up next
USF vs. Rice, 7 Saturday, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa. Streaming: ESPN+ Line/OU: USF by 27½; 59½
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
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