Josh Aldridge and the USF Defense Have Violence on the Brain Entering 2026

In the midst of sweltering heat, the South Florida Bulls football team has been hard at work at fall camp for the last week.

USF has plenty of questions that still need answering in Brian Hartline’s first season at the helm. Is Hartline going to be a good head coach? Is 62 new players too much change to put a winning product on the field? Who is going to be the starting quarterback?

However, one thing that has become very apparent to me watching a limited amount of USF’s practices and hearing some players speak to the media is that the Bulls’ defense is going to be good. And they might be really good.

Josh Aldridge is determined to lead a vicious Bulls defense

“We’re going to swing first and ask questions later,” new USF defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge said when I asked what the identity of the Bulls’ defense will be.

Aldridge’s resume speaks for itself. Last season, in his first season as a primary defensive coordinator with East Carolina, his defense led the American Conference in seven categories, including scoring defense and third-down defense.

The recurring themes in Aldridge’s gripping presser Tuesday were his desire for his defense to always play fast and aggressive. He mentioned that his defense will never let the opponent’s offensive scheme or success dictate the velocity they play with.

Aldridge’s defense at East Carolina practiced what he preached. The Pirates ranked fourth in the country in both sacks and tackles for loss in 2025.

The Pirates ranked 14th in the country with 24 takeaways last season. They ranked second in the country in fumbles recovered. A battle cry for the Bulls’ defense is when any coach says “tips and overthrows,” everyone says, “Gotta get those.”

Aldridge reaffirmed his mentality of playing on the front foot when asked about playing against triple-option teams like Army and Navy. Last season, when Aldridge faced Army, he held the Black Knights to six points and 2-for-15 on third down in a blowout win. That was a stark contrast from USF’s game last season against Navy, where the Bulls allowed 41 points and 338 rushing yards in a crushing defeat.

Another calling card for Aldridge and the defense is a graphic that says “Our Defense,” with every player and coach named on the graphic.

A mantra of togetherness is a valuable one for a Bulls defense that has one returning starter from the 2025 team. A couple of players who played together last season combining on a tackle will be a rare sight this season.

In total, USF brought in 45 transfers this offseason, with many coming on the defensive side of the ball. The practice field was littered with players who were in a Power 4 program last season.

High-profile transfer poised to be a leader on USF’s defense

The highest-profile transfer USF brought in this offseason was former five-star high school prospect C.J. Hicks. He committed to Ohio State when he was 16 years old, and he has known Hartline ever since.

Hicks played sparingly in his four seasons at Ohio State. He was behind now-NFL linebackers like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Cody Simon during his time with the Buckeyes.

Hicks said that he was very intentional in learning from those guys over the past couple of seasons, and now he’s trying to pass that knowledge down to his fellow Bulls defenders.

In high school, Hicks predominantly played safety before transitioning into an inside linebacker with Ohio State to now being poised to play the outside linebacker and edge rusher role for the Bulls.

Hicks is bullish on USF’s defense. When asked what is expected of USF’s defense, he said, “Just wait, you’re gonna see in three weeks,” with a smirk on his face.

Hicks is part of what is projected to be a formidable front seven for the Bulls. In the trenches, USF has West Virginia transfer Asani Redwood and Norfolk State transfer Major Dillard, who were both recently named to preseason All-American Conference teams. On the other side of Hicks, the Bulls have Michael Williams II, who, when he was healthy in 2024, was USF’s most disruptive pass rusher with 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries in 13 games.

In the middle of the field, the Bulls boast a promising linebacking corps of Florida transfer Pup Howard, who started nine games when he was healthy in 2024. Rutgers transfer Sam Robinson saw limited time with the Scarlet Knights last season, but he’s a former four-star prospect and has been impressing at camp, earning a “black shirt” at practice Wednesday for “doing a really good job of causing negative plays,” according to USF assistant strength coach Jacob Hillmann.

Lone USF returning starter leads deep secondary unit

In the secondary, USF also boasts plenty of experienced players. None more experienced than fifth-year senior Tavin Ward, the team’s only returning starter on defense. Ward was third on the team with 60 tackles last season.

When asked about what is different between this year’s defense and last year’s, Ward said, “There’s depth everywhere.” He constantly harped that there will be no drop-off when players are subbed out or go down with injury this season.

USF has eight secondary players who are upperclassmen. Aldridge mentioned that there’s a lot of competition for playing time going on in the Bulls’ secondary across the board.

Aldridge’s track record, the team’s mentality and the talent that USF has brought in all form an equation that points toward the Bulls having a strong defense in 2026.