TAMPA, Fla. — This week, University of South Florida Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly announced a series of contract extensions for USF Athletics head coaches — including football coach Jeff Scott, men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory and women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez.
As a result of contract extensions put in place over the last year, all head coaches of USF’s 19 sports programs have now been either hired by, and/or had their contracts extended by, Kelly, who assumed leadership of the athletic department in August 2018. Kelly says the philosophy of the athletic department is based on patience, not knee-jerk reactions.
"It’s not going to be about changing coaches every two or three years," Kelly said Wednesday. "It’s about how we can learn from what we’ve seen before. Why have we maybe not been successful in certain sports before, that we’re now doing differently in terms of providing for. And let’s see what we can do."
Head football coach Jeff Scott received an extension through 2026. Kelly said he believes in the direction of the program despite Scott's 3-18 record.
"I feel that the [coaching staff] is aligned," Kelly added. "They’re so energetic, they’re so encouraging. I feel that the student-athletes, at least the ones that come and express themselves to me, feel great about where they’re at. I think they feel it, that they’re on the verge and they don’t want to miss out."
Women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez and women's soccer coach Denise Schilte-Brown also got extended.
Kelly calls Fernandez a "great example" of how playing the long game pays off in building winning teams.
"Someone that took a program that was struggling at the time when he took it over and has been able to gradually make it into a power, and a power that we want it to be."
"Denise Schilte-Brown, in her 15th year, another coach winning five straight championships," Kelly added. "Before she got here we hadn’t won a conference championship. Takes time, develop, patience."
In November, USF announced that it's adding women's lacrosse in 2023. Wednesday, Kelly said the Bulls will add another sport in the first quarter of this year, and that reveal will come at a later date.
The current contractual status of the head coaches can be found in the table below:
Eleven of the Bulls' 14 head coaches have been at USF for at least five seasons, with six in their seventh season or longer.
