USF football begins spring practice under new coach Alex Golesh

TAMPA — Almost three months to the day after his hiring, new USF coach Alex Golesh staged the first spring practice of his tenure on a clear, cloudless afternoon Monday on campus.

And local reporters were granted a 20-minute peek behind the new regime’s curtain.

While the viewing portion was limited to positional drills and devoid of 11-on-11 work, a few things caught our eye. Golesh could address some — or all — of these observations when he addresses the media Tuesday afternoon.

Here’s what we saw from this session, in which players participated in shorts, jerseys and helmets:

Bohanon’s back ... sort of

Veteran quarterback Gerry Bohanon, who was expected to be sidelined all of spring drills while rehabbing a shoulder injury sustained last fall, suited up and participated — to an extent. A touted Baylor transfer and the opening-night starter in 2022, Bohanon engaged in some agility work but didn’t throw with the other five quarterbacks during positional drills.

The other five: sophomore Byrum Brown (who ended 2022 as the starter), Coastal Carolina transfer Bryce Archie, redshirt freshman Gunnar Smith and walk-ons Ryan Bolduc and Gavin Gosnell. Veteran Katravis March (recovering from a fractured neck) and late signee Izzy Carter will join this sprawling derby in the coming months.

Bohanon is the only offensive returner who started at least seven games last fall.

Veterans on the mend

In addition to Bohanon, a number of other prominent players sidelined during the injury-besieged 2022 season suited up and returned to action Monday. Among them: sixth-year left tackle Donovan Jennings (broken leg), tailback Kelly Joiner (fractured foot) and defensive lineman Rashad Cheney (ankle). Cornerback Daquan Evans (unspecified) was present but limited.

Transfers in profusion

While we didn’t have time to spot each of the 13 transfers from four-year programs signed by Golesh between December and February, we saw some.

They included Archie, tailback Nay’Quan Wright (University of Florida), offensive lineman Derek Bowman (Houston) and offensive lineman RJ Perry (Tennessee).

Golesh previously has said his staff isn’t finished adding players. The spring transfer-portal window opens in April.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls

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