Bryan Hodgson to become the next head coach at Providence
USF will be looking for its fifth basketball coach in five years
Bryan Hodgson has left the South Florida Bulls to become the next head coach of the Providence Friars.
Hodgson went 25-9 in his first and only season as USF head coach. He has a 70-37 record in three seasons as a head coach.
The Bulls had a historic season with Hodgson at the helm. Their 23 regular-season wins are the most in program history. USF won the American Conference regular-season title, marking the second time in program history the Bulls have won a regular-season title.
USF also won the American Conference Tournament title in Birmingham, securing its first conference tournament title in 36 years. It was also the first time in program history the Bulls have won conference regular-season and tournament titles in the same season.
“They took a chance on me, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. It’s a phenomenal university community and athletic department. They treat their people, um, with the utmost respect and provide resources in order to be successful. The University of South Florida is just scratching the surface,” Hodgson said after USF’s 83-79 loss to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The loss to Louisville was just USF’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and its first since 2012.
Next season, the Bulls will have their fifth head coach in as many years. USF will be led by its 16th head coach in its 56th season of basketball.
It will be the fourth coach Rob Higgins will have to hire in his first seven months as USF’s CEO of athletics.
“Coach said he would come and win championships, and he delivered on that promise by leading the most successful season in the history of our program. Rest assured, we did everything within reason to try and retain Coach for the long term. We will always be proactive and aggressive in working to retain high-performing coaches, but equally as important, we will also always be the ultimate stewards of our department’s financial resources,” Higgins said in a statement on X.
Higgins will have to move swiftly. The transfer portal opens April 7, the day after the national championship game. High school recruits can start signing with their respective colleges on April 15.
Whoever USF decides to hire will have to construct a very different roster from what the Bulls had this season. Six seniors will graduate, including three starters: Izaiyah Nelson, Joseph Pinion and Josh Omojafo.
The Bulls have no verbal commitments for their 2026 class.
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