Head Coach Alex Golesh, 2023 USF football team, Rocky, HOT band, cheerleaders, Sun Dolls and more highlight the fourth-annual event
TAMPA, JUNE 22, 2023 – First-year South Florida Football Head Coach Alex Golesh and the entire 2023 USF football team will officially welcome fans to a new era as the 2023 USF Football Season presented by Tampa General Hospital gets started with the fourth-annual Bulls Kickoff Luncheon to be held at Armature Works (1910 N. Ola Ave.) in downtown Tampa on Fri., Aug. 11.
The kickoff event, which began in 2019, will return to The Gathering space at Armature Works, a 10,000-square foot venue featuring two 9’ X 16’ LED video walls, and run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lunch will be served and the event will feature Golesh previewing the Bulls’ upcoming season. Fans will hear from Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly, have an opportunity to meet the 2023 team, enjoy photo opportunities with Rocky the Bull and USF spirit squads, rally to performances by the USF Herd of Thunder Band, and win door prizes for those in attendance. Attendees will be seated with USF players at their table.
Former USF and Green Bay Packers linebacker Sam Barrington (2009-12) will host the event for the third-straight year.
“We are very excited to have Coach Golesh and our 2023 Bulls hosting the 2023 Kickoff Luncheon at a fantastic and historic space in downtown Tampa,” Kelly said. “It is going to be an exciting season as we host Alabama in Raymond James Stadium and take on a new American Athletic Conference schedule. We have tremendous momentum at USF with the opening of the Indoor Performance Facility and the recent big steps toward the opening of on-campus stadium in 2026.”
Registration for the Bulls Kickoff Luncheon is open to the public. A luncheon table for eight may be purchased for $500 and individual tickets are $85. As a benefit of being a Season Ticket Member, special discounts are available to South Florida Football STMs. Registration for the event is online. Please direct questions to 1-800-GoBulls.
USF opens the 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Western Kentucky (3:30 p.m.) before returning to Raymond James Stadium to face Florida A&M on Sept. 9 (7:00 p.m.) and Alabama on Sept. 16 (3:30 p.m.). The Bulls open American Athletic Conference play at home on Sept. 23 vs. Rice (TBD).
USF returns three primary starters on offense from the 2022 season, four including tackle Donovan Jennings (Tampa) who started four games in 2023 before a season-ending injury but brings a team-high 35 career starts into his final campaign. The Bulls return nine primary starters on defense from 2022, led by safety Matthew Hill (Lawrenceville, Ga.) who brings 17 career starts into his senior campaign. USF returns 22 players with starting experience, including quarterbacks Gerry Bohanon Jr. (Earle, Ark./7 starts in 2022 before a season-ending injury) and Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C./started the last two games of 2022).
Jennings, linebacker DJ Gordon (Plant City), running back Nay’Quan Wright (Opa-Locka), defensive end Jason Vaughn (Miami) and defensive back Aamaris Brown (Tampa) earned preseason all-conference recognition from Athlon.
New season tickets for the 2023 USF football season at Raymond James Stadium are on sale now. Secure your seats for the 2023 season by calling or texting 1-800-GoBulls or by visiting USFBULLSTIX.com. All tickets are once again dynamically priced for each game based on demand and are subject to change. Tickets can be purchased online at USFBullsTix.com, by calling/texting 1-800-GoBulls or using the direct links below.
Season tickets: https://bit.ly/3yXpIgD
Single-game tickets: https://bit.ly/3PJrTdN
Group tickets (10+): call 1-800-GoBulls.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 26th season in 2022 while completing construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including 2021 consensus All-American kick returner Brian Battie, and had 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and has made 10 bowl game appearances (going 6-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and most recently making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
– #GoBulls –
