Brian Hartline is not satisfied with his college football players during his first season as the head coach at USF. He questioned their mentality after another loss on Thursday night.
His team did not seem disappointed.
I would imagine that a lot of college football coaches feel this same way about the modern era of the sport. Players are not as passionate about the result as they once were because they are all getting paid and clout and/or status is not decided on the field.
USF lost, again.
South Florida was one of the most relevant Group of Six programs in college football over the last three years. Alex Golesh took over a team that won only one game in 2022 and went 7-6 in each of his first two seasons. The Bulls finished 9-4 in 2025.
Golesh went on to become the head coach at Auburn. Brian Hartline was hired as his replacement.
Although 9-4 is technically still on the table, with three games remaining in the regular season and a bowl game, USF did not look competitive in losses to Temple, UTSA, East Carolina or Memphis. The Bulls mounted a comeback against the Tigers on Thursday night but they put themselves in a 21-0 hole after the first quarter that ultimately proved insurmountable.
Memphis finished with 581 total yards of offense in victory. USF lost 52-41 and dropped to 6-4 with Florida Atlantic and Tulane still on the schedule. Both remaining regular season games should be winnable. Hartline is not so sure his players are ready.
Brian Hartline slammed his players’ mentality.
The first-year head coach at South Florida played college football at Ohio State in the early 2000s. He returned to his alma mater and served in multiple roles from 2017-2025. The Buckeyes won a national title in 2024.
Needless to say, Hartline has experienced the game from both sides in two different eras. Pre-NIL and post-NIL.
The 39-year-old does not like what he sees from his players in the current era. They were not upset after the loss on Thursday. They were smiling. They posed for photos on the field.
Back in Hartline’s day, players used to get into fights in the locker room because of how much the game itself meant to them. He doesn’t see that in 2026.
Incredibly telling answer from Brian Hartline about the teams mentality this season.
— Colby Allfrey (@AllfreyColby) November 13, 2026
Spoiler alert: he doesn’t seem pleased with it pic.twitter.com/nqdaaZBrKV
If you are getting paid to play, which most top college football players are, there is less hurt involved with a loss. The paycheck hits either way. It doesn’t sting as much as it used to. Players are focused more on how they look on social media.
It will be interesting to see whether Hartline is able to adjust to this modern era of college football. He either needs to find a way to get his players to buy into his way of thinking or find a new group of athletes who will.