USF CEO of Athletics Provides Clarity After Reports Alex Golesh has Accepted Arkansas Job

Alex Golesh during the South Florida Football game vs #13 Florida on September 6, 2025.
(Chris Henry / University of South Florida Athletics)

According to a report from Trey Schaap, USF football head coach and former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh has accepted an offer to be the next head coach at Arkansas. However, the Razorbacks have yet to make an official announcement on the potential hiring.

Hours after the news broke, USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins took to his X account to provide some clarity on the situation. He acknowledged that Golesh has ‘outside opportunities’ and that the university is supportive of it. Higgins also mentioned that Golesh has been ‘transparent’ about the entire process.

He did seem to note that there has not been a firm decision, though. Higgins phrased it as a ‘decision making process’ that Golesh is in. He said they will stay in communication and no matter the scenario, the university is prepared.

“Since Saturday’s game, Coach Golesh has been presented with outside opportunities that he has been transparent about with us,” Higgins posted on his X account. “We are respectful and supportive of Coach and his family in their decision making process. We’ll remain in constant communication. Bulls Nation, rest assured, we are ultra prepared for every scenario that could unfold in the coming hours/days. Our commitment and investment has never been higher and we’re also laser focused on being great stewards of our resources. Most importantly, the future of USF Football has never been more bright! Go Bulls!”

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Golesh is in his third season as head coach at USF, where he’s helped lead the Bulls to a 22-15 record. The offensive-minded coach inherited a terrible situation in Tampa, with the Bulls posting a 1-11 record the year before his arrival. Despite this, Golesh got USF back to a bowl game in his first year as head coach.

USF went 7-6 in each of Golesh’s first two years as head coach before taking another leap this season. The Bulls broke onto the scene back in September with an upset win over Florida and looked like a legit group of five College Football Playoff contender. However, an upset loss against Navy earlier this month dashed the Bulls’ playoff hopes.

Golesh, if he does take the job, inherits an Arkansas program that’s struggled in recent seasons under Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks went 4-8 in 2023 before rebounding with a 7-6 record a season ago. However, Arkansas has fallen off in a major way this season and is 2-9 entering its regular-season finale against Missouri.

Golesh spent two seasons at Tennessee as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator from 2021-22, helping rebuild the Vols’ program and one of the nation’s best offenses.

Tennessee would get an up-close and personal look at Golesh’s Arkansas program next season when the Vols head to Fayetteville to face Arkansas in an SEC matchup. It’s the third straight year that Tennessee will play the Razorbacks. The Vols lost in Fayetteville in 2024 before defeating the Razorbacks earlier this season.

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