HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The USF football team wraps up preseason practice's "camp" portion this week. First-year head coach Alex Golesh says the team will start more game-week-style preparation on Sunday.
Overall, Golesh says he loves the energy during practice. He described the team as competitive, eager, and talkative.
"They talk smack to each other. They talk smack to me, which is fun. It’s been a fun, energetic, competitive environment. Does that result in wins? I don’t know," Golesh said at his weekly press conference. "But I think it certainly gives us a chance as we’ve come together as a team to trust each other, really learn about each other."
The players are big fans of having a lot of verbal back-and-forth during practice.
"We have fun here. We know the level- so we put the bar here. He always 'Right here. Don’t go past it, don’t go under it. Just right here at the bar,'” defensive lineman Bernard Gooden said after Thursday's practice. "I feel like coming to practice, that makes you lose, makes you fly around. It makes you want to play for a guy like [coach Golesh], for sure."
Defensive line coach Kevin Patrick played his college football at Miami (FL) from 1989-'93, so he knows just about everything there is to know about trash talk.
"My trash talk is usually between me and whoever we’re talking to," Patrick grinned. "But I think if you do it the right way, it’s part of the mental warfare, absolutely. Everybody’s going to get it at some point in time."
"We talk before practice, like what type of energy you’re going to bring today," defensive lineman Doug Blue Eli explained when talking about smack talk at practice. "What are you gonna do today? I definitely like it. It’s like something you bring to practice every day."
Blue Eli transferred to USF from TCU. He says despite the Bulls' recent struggles, coach Golesh and coach Patrick sold him on being part of the foundation of a turnaround.
"They had a vision that they had set here for the future. They showed me where they think my role will be," Doug said Thursday. "So I came and believed coach 100%. So far, it’s been exactly what he’s said."
The Bulls say they keep moving in the right direction to ensure they don't get too far ahead of themselves- literally and figuratively.
"We’re going to be where our feet are," Patrick said. "We’re going to focus on the process. We’re not going to focus on the results. We’re going to be where our feet are. We’re gonna take it one day at a time."
Gooden echoed his position coach's sentiment.
"Make sure we’re at where our feet are. I feel like that’s how we approach it every day coming here. Be where your feet are, and be who you say you are."
USF opens the regular season on September 2, when they travel to Western Kentucky.
