By USF Football Piles Up Preseason All-Conference Honors Ahead of 2026 Season
Five Bulls earn first-team honors from Pro Football Network as Brian Hartline prepares for his first season at USF
TAMPA, Fla. — Brian Hartline may be taking over a dramatically different USF football roster in 2026. But preseason expectations haven’t disappeared with all the changes.
If anything, the individual recognition surrounding the Bulls suggests there is plenty of talent remaining in Tampa.
South Florida had eight players recognized by Pro Football Network (PFN) when it released its 2026 Preseason All-American Conference College Football Team. That includes five Bulls selected to the First Team.
Kicker Nico Gramatica, safety Ayden Jackson, defensive tackle Asani Redwood, wide receiver Mudia Reuben and guard Julius Tate were PFN First-Team selections.
Safety Tavin Ward earned Second-Team honors, while running back D.J. Crowther and defensive tackle Major Dillard were named to the Third Team.
For a program replacing the majority of its starting lineup and welcoming 62 new players, having eight players earn preseason all-conference recognition is an encouraging sign.
Gramatica Leads Five First-Team Selections
Gramatica enters the season as one of USF’s most proven returning players.
He earned second-team All-American Conference honors following the 2025 season after converting 18 of 24 field-goal attempts.
Gramatica also produced one of USF’s biggest moments of the season when he kicked the game-winning field goal in the Bulls’ 18-16 victory over Florida in Gainesville.
His career-long field goal is 58 yards, and he has converted 16 of 19 career attempts from inside 50 yards.
But PFN’s recognition extends well beyond special teams.
Jackson and Redwood give USF two First-Team selections on a defense that will look dramatically different this fall.
Redwood’s presence in the middle of the defensive line could be particularly important for a unit attempting to replace several key contributors.
Dillard joining him on PFN’s Third Team gives the Bulls two defensive tackles among the conference’s preseason honorees.
Jackson’s First-Team selection, combined with Ward earning Second-Team honors, also gives USF considerable preseason recognition in the secondary.
Ward is especially important because he is the only returning starter from last season’s USF defense. He finished third on the team with 60 tackles in 2025, adding 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and an interception he returned 40 yards for a touchdown against UTSA.
Reuben, Tate and Crowther Represent Hartline’s Offense
The Bulls also received recognition at three important offensive positions.
Reuben as a First-Team wide receiver. Tate as a First-Team honors at guard, and Crowther as a Third-Team running back.
Those selections are noteworthy considering one of Hartline’s biggest challenges this offseason has been reconstructing an offense that lost several major contributors from last year’s nine-win team.
Tate provides recognition up front at a position where USF has made getting bigger and stronger a priority.
Reuben gives the Bulls another potentially dangerous option in a receiving corps that should play an important role in Hartline’s offense. At the same time, Crowther provides another piece in what could become a deep and versatile USF backfield.
Athlon Also High on Several Bulls
PFN isn’t the only national publication recognizing USF’s talent.
Athlon Sports placed 10 Bulls on its 2026 Preseason All-American Conference teams, although its selections differed considerably from PFN’s.
Gramatica again received the highest recognition, earning First-Team honors.
Offensive lineman Caleb Cook, defensive lineman C.J. Hicks, linebacker Grayson Howard and Ward were Athlon Second-Team selections. At the same time, wide receiver Bryson Rodgers and tight end Wyatt Sullivan earned Third-Team recognition.
The differences between the two preseason teams actually reinforce an encouraging point for USF.
There isn’t just one small group of Bulls receiving recognition.
Players across the roster — and from different preseason publications are being viewed as potential impact performers in the American Conference.
Expectations Remain High Despite Massive Turnover
That depth of recognition is particularly significant considering the amount of change Hartline inherited.
South Florida returns only four starters from the team that finished 9-4 last season and welcomes 62 new players into the program.
The Bulls are coming off their best season since 2017 and have made three consecutive bowl appearances. They also reached the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in program history last season.
Hartline was hired to build on that momentum rather than start over.
The preseason recognition from PFN and Athlon doesn’t guarantee anything once conference play begins, particularly with so many new pieces being asked to come together quickly.
But it does indicate that national evaluators see considerable individual talent on Hartline’s first USF roster.
And perhaps most importantly, that talent is spread throughout the team.
USF offensive lineman Caleb Cook added another national honor to the Bulls’ growing list of preseason recognition when he was named to the 2026 Outland Trophy Watch List.
The Outland Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top interior lineman, making Cook’s inclusion particularly significant as he prepares for his first season at South Florida.
The 6-foot-3, 315-pound graduate transfer arrives at USF after earning First-Team All-Sun Belt honors at Georgia Southern in 2025.
Cook started all 13 games last season, played a team-high 912 snaps, and brings 43 career appearances and 25 starts to a USF offensive line being reshaped under first-year head coach Brian Hartline.
Cook’s experience and physical presence should make him an important piece of the Bulls’ offense this fall. He could emerge as one of the best at his position in the American Conference.
South Florida opened preseason practice Aug. 5 and will open its 30th season of football on Saturday, Sept. 5 against FIU at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
It will also mark USF’s final season at Raymond James Stadium before the Bulls move into their new on-campus stadium in 2027.
