By Five USF Bulls Land on National Award Watch Lists Ahead of 2026 Season
TAMPA — The expectations surrounding USF football are changing.
After a 9-4 season, a third consecutive bowl appearance and the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Bulls enter 2026 with a new head coach, a dramatically reshaped roster and legitimate expectations of competing for an American Conference championship.
Finally, college football is beginning to take notice.
Five South Florida players have earned spots on preseason national award watch lists: offensive guard Caleb Cook, kicker Nico Gramatica, running back/return specialist Alvon Isaac, wide receiver Mudia Reuben and wide receiver Jaden Alexis.
The five represent just about everything first-year coach Brian Hartline needs from this roster.
Toughness up front, dependable special teams, versatility, leadership, and veteran players capable of making an impact when the Bulls need it most.
And for a USF program trying to take another step forward, the national recognition is another indication that expectations in Tampa are rising.
Jaden Alexis — Comeback Player of the Year
Perhaps no Bull has a more compelling story entering 2026 than Alexis.
The graduate receiver has been named to the watch list for the 2026 Comeback Player of the Year Award.
The award has recognized college football players who have overcome injury, illness, or other difficult circumstances. At the end of the season, three players are selected as Comeback Player of the Year winners.
USF knows the award well. Former Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown earned the honor following the 2025 season, when he returned to lead South Florida to nine victories and another bowl appearance.
Now Alexis gets his opportunity.
The former Texas receiver transferred to USF in 2023 and immediately showed what he could provide, catching 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games, including five starts.
Then came the injuries.
Knee problems limited Alexis for most of the following two seasons, keeping one of USF’s most experienced receivers from establishing the role many expected him to have.
Yet Alexis remained heavily involved with the program. He developed into a team leader and has been among USF’s most active players in community-service initiatives.
If he can finally stay healthy, his comeback could matter far beyond an individual award.
USF lost several major offensive contributors from last season, and Hartline’s offense needs playmakers to emerge around whichever quarterback wins the starting job.
A healthy Alexis would give the Bulls an experienced, physical receiver who has already demonstrated that he can produce at the FBS level.
After everything he’s gone through, simply seeing No. 12 back on the field consistently would be a victory.
Caleb Cook — Outland Trophy
When Hartline talked about making USF a more physical football team, the Bulls needed personnel who could turn those words into reality.
That’s where Caleb Cook comes in.
The graduate offensive guard was named to the Outland Trophy watch list, putting him among the nation’s players to watch in the trenches.
Cook arrived at USF after earning First-Team All-Sun Belt honors at Georgia Southern, giving the Bulls an experienced interior lineman with the size and physicality to immediately strengthen a rebuilt offensive line.
His importance might go beyond individual recognition.
USF wants an offense that can play fast while also becoming more physical at the point of attack.
The Bulls want to run the football when defenses know the run is coming, protect their quarterback, and control short-yardage situations.
That starts up front.
Cook has an opportunity to become one of the anchors of that transformation.
Nico Gramatica — Lou Groza Award
The Gramatica name and kicking excellence have gone hand in hand in Tampa for a long time.
Now Nico Gramatica is building his own reputation.
The junior was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list, which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate placekicker, after earning Second-Team All-American Conference honors in 2025.
Gramatica connected on 18 of 24 field-goal attempts, with his 18 makes tying for the fourth-most in a season in USF history. He was also 59-of-60 on extra points, setting a program record for PATs, and his 113 total points were the second-most in a season in school history.
But Bulls fans probably remember two kicks more than all the numbers.
Gramatica drilled a 52-yard field goal against No. 25 Boise Stateand later delivered a game-winning 20-yarder at No. 13 Florida.
With USF breaking in a new quarterback and replacing significant offensive production, having a dependable kicker could become even more valuable in close games.
Alvon Isaac — Paul Hornung Award
Few players on USF’s roster offer Hartline and offensive coordinator Tim Beck as many possibilities as Alvon Isaac.
That’s why his selection to the Paul Hornung Award watch listmakes perfect sense.
The award honors the most versatile player in major college football, and versatility might be the best word to describe Isaac.
He rushed 73 times for 350 yards last season while adding 14 receptions for 141 yards. He also handled both major return duties, averaging 21 yards on six punt returns and 22.4 yards on 10 kickoff returns.
Isaac enters 2026 as USF’s leading returning rusher, but simply calling him a running back undersells what he can potentially become in Hartline’s offense.
He can line up in the backfield, catch the football, contribute in space, and return kicks.
The more creative USF becomes with Isaac, the more difficult he could be for opposing defenses to account for.
The Hornung Award recognizes players who can impact games in multiple ways.
Isaac fits that description perfectly.
Mudia Reuben — Wuerffel Trophy
Not every national award is determined solely by what happens between the sidelines.
Mudia Reuben’s selection to the Wuerffel Trophy watch listrecognizes what he has accomplished on the field, in the classroom, and in communities thousands of miles from Tampa.
Reuben has helped fund and develop water wells for communities in Nigeria, where his family has roots.
Six wells have been built, dramatically reducing the distance some residents must travel to obtain water.
His academic résumé is just as impressive. Reuben graduated from Stanford in three years with a degree in life and health science and is pursuing a master’s degree in pharmaceutical nanotechnology and biomedical engineering.
And he’s pretty good at football, too.
Reuben produced 495 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2025and finished the regular season on a tear, catching 14 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns over the final three games.
That included a 174-yard performance against UAB featuring touchdown receptions of 60 and 59 yards.
Reuben enters 2026 as one of just two returning offensive starters.
Five Players, Five Different Ways to Impact USF’s Season
The preseason watch lists don’t guarantee anything.
Nobody wins an award in August, and Hartline certainly isn’t building his first USF team around preseason recognition.
But the list says something about the pieces available to him.
Plenty is new about USF football in 2026: a new coach, new quarterbacks, new players, and a new offensive identity.
But these five Bulls give Hartline something every first-year coach needs: players capable of setting the standard.
For Bulls fans who have waited years to see USF become nationally relevant again, it’s another sign that people outside Tampa are paying attention.
And if Cook, Gramatica, Isaac, Reuben and Alexis live up to the preseason recognition, there could be a whole lot more attention coming USF’s way this fall.
Cook can help establish the physical offensive identity Hartline wants.
Gramatica gives USF a proven weapon in the kicking game.
Isaac might become one of the offense’s most versatile playmakers.
Reuben provides production and leadership.
Alexis has an opportunity to write one of the best comeback stories in college football.
That’s a pretty good collection of talent for a team that lost a tremendous amount from last season and brought in 62 new players.
USF opens its 30th season of football Sept. 5 against FIU at Raymond James Stadium, beginning what will be the Bulls’ final season at Ray Jay before moving into their new on-campus stadium.
