TAMPA, Fla. — The Bulls are back.

The University of South Florida football team opened its fall camp Tuesday for the 2024 season.

USF returns with momentum from a turnaround season under coach Alex Golesh, who guided the Bulls to a 7-6 mark and a Boca Raton Bowl win in his first year.

That came after four wins the previous three seasons.

Now, the Bulls open camp with the expectations of continued improvement.  

“(There’s) a really cool sense of excitement going on,” Golesh said addressing the media Tuesday morning. “We get to coach football now…there’s a real sense of continuity.”

The Bulls took to the practice field Tuesday and will continue with sessions throughout the week.

USF is returning 19 starters who contributed 84 percent of its rushing and receiving yards.

At the center of those starters is returning quarterback Byrum Brown. The 6-foot-3, 221-pound junior from Raleigh, N.C. set numerous USF season passing records in 2023, including yards (3,292), touchdowns (26) and completion percentage (64.6%).

He also ran for a team-best 809 yards and 11 touchdowns, joining Heisman winner Jayden Daniels as the only FBS players to pass for 3,000 and run for 800 yards.

Still, he said there is much work to be done.

“I have unfinished business,” said Brown, who did not seek to enter the portal for larger programs after a stellar sophomore season last year. “This is the system for me and I can’t wait to continue to improve and take this team where it needs to go.”

The Bulls’ offense that also returns senior wide receiver Sean Atkins, who set program records with 92 receptions for 1,054 yards in 2023 and was named a 2024 preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

Brown, Atkins, offensive guard Zane Herring, running back Nay’Quan Wright, center Mike Lofton, offensive tackle Derek Bowman, wide receiver Naiem Simmons, cornerback Aamaris Brown-Bunkley, defensive tackle Rashad Cheney, linebacker Jhalyn Shuler, safety Jaelen Stokes and kickers John Cannon and Nico Gramatica where among the Bulls to earn preseason all-conference recognition from national publications.

USF opens the season on Saturday, Aug. 31 in Raymond James Stadium against Bethune-Cookman in a 7:00 p.m. kick on ESPN+.

The Bulls also have non-conference dates at Alabama (Sept. 7/7 pm/ESPN), at Southern Miss (Sept. 14/7 pm/ESPN+) and vs. Miami (Sept. 21).             

The Bulls won three of its last four games, including its 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl win against Syracuse.

Along the way, USF posted its first home winning record (4-2) since 2018, won its first bowl game since 2017, won its first road game in three years,and posted four conference wins, the program’s most since 2017.

All great marks, but all in the past, Golesh said.

“In Year 2, there is a foundation laid,” Golesh said. “Everybody knows the standard.

“Now it’s time to go uphold the standard.”