Recapping USF's Whirlwind Dec. 3
Wednesday, Dec. 3, marked the beginning of the signing period for football teams to ink their high school, junior college and prep players for the 2026 recruiting class, also known as ‘national signing day.’ While it used to occur on the first Wednesday of February, the date has moved up in recent years to now the first Wednesday in December.
But not only did USF welcome a class of incoming players, it also announced a new head coach. By mid-morning, Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was announced in a press release as the Bulls’ new coach. He’ll stay with the Buckeyes through their run in the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff, before he fully joins USF.
Below, we recap the day’s events, in what has turned out to be a big day in the Bulls’ future hopes.
The First Signee
St. John’s College (DC) three-star offensive lineman Jordan Harrison was the first signed athletic financial aid agreement USF received Wednesday morning. The signature was announced and promoted by the Bulls at 7:13 am ET. Harrison committed to the Bulls on Feb. 7. He had an offer list that also included Virginia Tech, Maryland and West Virginia.
Harrison officially visited USF June 13 and never seriously considered other programs. He’s a 6-foot-1, 290-pound product who also had a strong senior season. Harrison capped that campaign with a first-team all-WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) selection. Traditionally, that’s a strong conference, which also includes schools like DeMatha (Md.), Good Counsel (Md.) and Gonzaga (DC) that have produced a lot of NFL talent such as Chase Young, Kendall Fuller, Stefon Diggs, Caleb Williams and Cam Johnson.
Another Gramatica on the Way
The Gramatica family has been a famous one in NFL circles, specifically as kickers. Argentina-born Martin Gramatica and his family moved near Fort Myers when he was 9 years old and he later starred at Kansas State before a six-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a key part of the 2002 team that won Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders.
Though Gramatica also kicked over parts of four more seasons for the Colts, Patriots, Cowboys and Saints, he ultimately settled down in the Tampa Bay area. His younger brother, Bill Gramatica, had a six-year NFL career as a kicker, while son Nico Gramatica has kicked for the Bulls the past two seasons.
Now, the youngest Gramatica is on board, after he signed with USF yesterday morning. Gaston Gramatica garnered scholarship offers from Texas and North Carolina, but committed to the Bulls in April, like his uncle and brother. Gaston Gramatica was the second signature the Bulls received in the 2026 class and also never seriously considered anywhere else, with his brother and family roots in the Tampa Bay area. He’ll further stabilize USF’s kicking game over the coming seasons.
Flurry of Additions
As is usually the case with most programs on signing day, the Bulls received a group of signed paperwork from players very early on, after Harrison and Gramatica. Three-star wide receiver Gabriel LeGrand, three-star linebacker Lorenzo Barnes, three-star running back Jayson Franklin, three-star defensive lineman Sager Quinn, three-star defensive lineman Iverson Garcia, three-star edge rusher Demetrius Geathers and three-star wide receiver Dmari Roberts all sent in their signed financial aid agreements by 10 am ET.
In all, USF announced 17 signed additions by the end of the day. The highest-ranked, according to Rivals’ industry ranking, is IMG Academy (Fla.) three-star safety Amari Jones, another addition who was undeterred by the loss of coach Alex Golesh, after he committed to the Bulls in April. Jones’ lengthy offer list included Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas.
Hartline Addition Amidst NSD Adds
Just before 10 am ET, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported that Hartline was set to be USF’s next coach. The news was confirmed minutes later by On3’s Pete Nakos, Brett McMurphy and Chris Low.
Hartline has long been sought by programs elsewhere, but has time after time in recent years chosen to remain at Ohio State since 2017, first as a quality control assistant, then wide receivers coach, then offensive coordinator, the position he’s held the past three seasons. Hartline played for the Buckeyes from 2005-08, then for the Miami Dolphins from 2009-14 and one season with the Cleveland Browns in 2015.
Hartline has recruited a bevy of successful players (notably wide receiver) to Ohio State, including Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Jeremiah Smith, arguably the top wide receiver in college football this season who will be a surefire early first round NFL Draft pick.
But while the news was carefully set to come out mid-morning, not to completely take away from the incoming signees on National Signing Day, Hartline agreed to the deal Tuesday night. CEO Rob Higgins and top boosters/leaders alluded to the addition late into the night. They had flown to Columbus to finalize the deal with Hartline, who will stick with the Buckeyes through their run into the College Football Playoff, before he fully arrives in Tampa next month.
Yes, There Were a Few Losses
Armwood (Fla.) three-star quarterback Rhys Brush committed to the Bulls back in February. But after Golesh left for Auburn on Sunday, Brush was one of the top candidates looked at for a flip to the Tigers.
Golesh had ben a big part of Brush’s recruitment and decision to stay home with USF. On Tuesday morning, minutes before Hartline’s addition was announced in fact, Brush was announced as an Auburn signee. It was a loss that stings, especially with Brush being a Bay-area product, but it wasn’t a surprise.
Lowndes (Ga.) three-star offensive lineman Benjamin Corhei flipped his commitment from Louisville to USF in June after an official visit to Tampa. But in light of Golesh’s departure, he flipped back and signed with the Cardinals yesterday. Miami, Kentucky, Florida State, and Ole Miss were among those who also extended scholarship offers.
Overall, the damage from Golesh’s departure was very minimal. That’s unusual in many coaching changes. Often, there’s an exodus of committed players who were close with the departing coach or who use the opportunity to open up their recruitments to elevate their NIL standing and sign elsewhere. That the Bulls were able to keep their class largely intact speaks to the continued upward trajectory of the program. Sources say each of the committed players have had some communication with members of the USF brass about Hartline and that also was a big reason for the delayed signatures yesterday. But the Bulls will now turn their sights to the transfer portal, which will come in a flurry Jan. 2 – Jan. 16.
