USF football coach Alex Golesh is making a name for himself in college football coaching circles.
The third-year Bulls coach has already become the first coach in program history to lead it to bowl wins in each of his first two seasons. He led the second-best single-season turnaround for USF in program history.
Golesh is going to have three major opportunities to prove his worth in the first three weeks of the college football season. The Bulls opened the season with a dominant 34-7 victory over No. 25 Boise State to open the season.
USF takes on No. 15 Florida on Sept. 6 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. The Bulls then take on No. 7 Miami on Sept. 13 in Miami Gardens, Florida. USF can announce itself as a threat in college football with a win in either game.
Here’s what you need to know about Golesh, his coaching career and more:
Who is Alex Golesh?
Golesh was hired as the USF football coach on Dec. 4, 2022, following a successful two-year stint as offensive coordinator under Josh Heupel at Tennessee. The Bulls had not made a bowl game since 2018 and had a 4-29 record between 2020 and 2022 under Jeff Scott and Daniel Da Prato.
USF dropped Golesh’s debut 41-24 to Western Kentucky on Sept. 2, 2023, but proved to be a tough opponent for Nick Saban and Alabama two weeks later. The Bulls reached bowl eligibility with a regular-season finale win over Charlotte and defeated Syracuse 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Golesh was responsible for turning the program around from a 1-win season in 2022 to seven wins in 2023. That was the second-biggest single-season turnaround in Bulls history. USF followed up Golesh’s successful first season with a 7-6 record in 2024, which ended with a 41-39 five-overtime win over San Jose State in the Hawaiʻi Bowl.
He is the first coach to lead USF to bowl game victories in each of its first two seasons
Alex Golesh age
Golesh was born on June 24, 1984, making him 41 years old during the 2025 college football season. The youngest FBS coach in 2025 is Zach Kittley, of FAU, who is 34 years old.
He played high school football at Dublin Scioto High School in Dublin, Ohio, where he was a three-year letter winner. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio State in 2006.
Where is Alex Golesh from?
Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia. He immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 7.
“I remember playing in the snow, I remember cross-country skiing, I remember playing soccer, I remember first grade,” Golesh said of growing up in Russia. Then I remember moving to New York and trying to learn English. That was a different deal, but my parents gave me and my brother an opportunity that I’m forever grateful for.
In an interview with the Toledo Blade in 2011, he said he is fluent in Russian, as his grandparents still lived there.
Alex Golesh coaching career
Golesh began his coaching career as a defensive line coach at Westerville Central High School in Westerville, Ohio. He was hired as a student assistant by Ohio State in 2004, where he began his ascent as a college football coach.
Here’s a full look at Golesh’s coaching career:
- Ohio State (2004-05): Student assistant
- Northern Illinois (2006-07): Graduate assistant
- Oklahoma State (2008): Graduate assistant
- Toledo (2009-11): Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator
- Illinois (2012-13): Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator
- Illinois (2014): Tight ends coach/running backs coach/recruiting coordinator
- Illinois (2015): Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator
- Iowa State (2016-19): Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator
- UCF (2020): Co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
- Tennessee (2021-22): Offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
- South Florida (2023-25): Head coach
Alex Golesh coaching record
Here’s a look at Golesh’s coaching record with time spent through three years with the USF Bulls:
- 2023 (USF): 7-6
- 2024 (USF): 7-6
- 2025 (USF): 1-0
- Career record: 16-12
