Shuler Named American Defensive Player of the Week;
Brown Named to Davey O’Brien Great 8;
Harris Named to Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week
TAMPA, FLA., Sept. 2, 2025 – The 2025 South Florida Football Season presented by Tampa General Hospital got off to a rousing start with a 34-7 upset of No. 25 Boise State in front of a national television audience on ESPN.
Several Bulls earned recognition for their outstanding play in leading South Florida to its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2016 and the second-largest victory margin (27 points) over a ranked foe in program history. The Bulls reeled of 34 unanswered points in the game, the program’s most ever unanswered points against a ranked opponent.
Linebacker Jhalyn Shuler was named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Week after posting a career-best 14 tackles in leading an impressive effort for the Bulls defense. Shuler added a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery on Boise State’s first drive of the game. The Bulls held the Broncos 30 points below their 2024 season scoring average and to their lowest scoring output since 2019.
Quarterback Byrum Brown returned to start under center for the first time in 11 months following an injury in 2024 and earned Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 national recognition for his performance. The O’Brien Award also added Brown to its 2025 season award watch list. The 6-3, 232-pound senior was impressive posting 253 total yards (210 passing and 43 rushing) and two rushing touchdowns, as he ran over and through Boise State defenders to score on runs of 23 and 15 yards. He completed 67 percent of his passes – hitting eight different receivers – and earned a career-best grade of 92.2 by Pro Football Focus.
Brown also received an Honorable Mention American Conference Offensive Player of the Week nod.
Linebacker Mac Harris was named to the Pro Football Focuses National Team of the Week after posting eight tackles and a big, forced fumble that ended Boise State’s opening drive at the USF39.
The Bulls received 25 votes in the Week 2 Associated Press Top 25 Poll and nine in the Coaches Poll. The Bulls defense currently leads the nation in recovered fumbles (3) and ranks No. 7 in overall turnovers gained (3) on the year. The USF defense has collected 53 turnovers since 2023, the beginning of the tenures for Head Coach Alex Golesh and Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando, and rank No. 6 in the nation over that span.
Up Next:
USF will travel to No. 13 Florida Saturday for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network and can be heard on Q105 FM and Bulls Unlimited digital radio.
Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2025 USF football season tickets are on sale and may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
Single-game tickets for the 2025 USF football season can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl. Head coach Alex Golesh posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF 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 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
– #GoBulls –
