Bryan Hodgson is set to make his NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday with USF. An afternoon tip-off against Louisville figures to be one of the more interesting games of the first round. Plenty of people will be watching Hodgson, who is in just his third season as a head coach. Before USF, Arkansas State hired him away from an assistant role at Alabama.
The rise of Hodgson may continue this offseason, whenever it comes for USF. Jeff Goodman provided the latest on Hodgson and his potential suitors once the coaching carousel gets into full swing. Two teams in the northeast stick out more than others — coming from the ACC and Big East.
“You’ve heard a lot about South Florida’s coach over the last week or so,” Goodman said via The Field of 68. “Bryan Hodgson, who’s right now being courted by Syracuse and Providence. He’s got also a lucrative offer to stay at South Florida at this point.”
Both of those schools have already fired coaches. Syracuse moved on from Red Autry, who had replaced the legendary Jim Boeheim. A similar move came in Providence as Kim English could never get the ball rolling there. The Friars are once again looking for somebody new to take over the program. Competing in the Big East has become difficult for them, finishing under .500 in conference play the last two years.
For now, Hodgson is going to be focused on getting USF a win in the NCAA Tournament. We have not seen one from the Bulls since 2012. A First Four win over Cal propelled them into a classic 12 over five upset vs. Temple. A Round of 32 matchup between double digits then went against USF, losing to Ohio.
Beating Louisville would certainly be a historic moment for USF. It might just make Hodgson’s name an even bigger commodity in the coaching world.
More on Bryan Hodgson, coaching career thus far
Hodgson comes from the Nate Oats tree, working as an assistant for him at Buffalo and Alabama. Arkansas State came calling in 2023, seeing Hodgson lead them to the CBI in Year One. Year Two was even better, getting into the NIT.
Now, all the success with USF has come in his first season. In total, Hodgson holds a 70-36 record as a head coach. All three of his campaigns have resulted in a winning record against conference opponents, having fourth place as his worst finish.