A crowd of 5,360 fans gathered at Corbett Stadium on a beautiful Saturday evening for the USF Spring Game, wrapping up 15 productive practice sessions as the Bulls prepare for their third season under head coach Alex Golesh.
The event was a celebration of football, featuring a street festival outside the stadium and the popular alumni flag football game at halftime. On the field, a group of young Bulls impressed, showcasing the future of the program in a fast-paced Spring Game that consisted of 12-minute quarters with a running clock.
“It was really, really cool to come in and play in front of 5,300 people,” said Golesh. “We’ve done this three years in a row now, and it gives you goosebumps to walk out and play a game on campus. I’m super excited for 2027 when we get the chance to play on this campus in the fall.”
Freshman quarterback Locklan Hewlett (St. Augustine) had an outstanding performance, completing 13 of 14 passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Bryce Archie (Powder Springs, Ga.), who started eight games last season, went 11-of-18 for 97 yards. Senior Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C.), who missed the final eight games of 2024 due to injury, did not play in the Spring Game as a precaution for a hamstring strain that wouldn’t have kept him out of a regular game, according to Golesh.
Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Winton (Knoxville, Tenn.) led all players with two touchdown receptions from Hewlett, including a 29-yard score for the second touchdown of the day. Junior JeyQuan Smith (San Bernardino, Calif.) also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Hewlett, part of two receptions for 61 yards.
Sophomore Nico Gramatica (Tampa) added a 47-yard field goal for the Bulls’ other points.
On the ground, sophomore Nykahi Davenport (Roswell, Ga.) ran eight times for 55 yards, while sophomore Alvon Isaac (Hawthorne, Fla.) had nine carries for 50 yards.
Defensively, freshman linebacker Gavin Leach (Newburgh, Ind.) made six tackles and a sack. Graduate transfer defensive lineman Josh Celiscar (Winter Haven, Fla.) recorded six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. Sophomore cornerback James Chenault (Orlando) had an interception along with four tackles, and graduate safety Jaelen Stokes (Auburndale, Fla.) intercepted a pass in the end zone, returning it 40 yards.
“I think it was a solid day because our trainer wasn’t out on the field a whole lot,” Golesh said. “You just want to get out of it healthy and get a bunch of clean work on both sides of the ball, and I thought it was really clean. It was good to see young guys getting a lot of reps.”
Up Next:
Several Bulls are set to earn their degrees as the spring semester concludes with USF’s commencement ceremonies from May 8-11. The USF football team will head into summer workouts and fall camp before kicking off the 2025 season on Thursday, August 28, against Boise State at Raymond James Stadium. The Broncos will be the first of potentially three preseason Top 25-ranked non-conference opponents for the Bulls, who will also face Florida on September 6 and Miami on September 13.
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