In his first year on the job, USF head basketball coach Bryan Hodgson led the Bulls to their first March Madness appearance since 2012, where they came four points shy of pulling off the upset against Louisville. As with any prominent mid-major coach, Hodgson's performance has him on the radar for the upcoming coaching carousel.

Hodgson is only in his third season as a head coach, but his success with USF in 2025-2026 has already made him one of the top up-and-comers in college basketball. After the Bulls' loss to Louisville, many viewed his post-game comments as if he had already made up a decision to leave the program and accept another job.

Hodgson notably referred to USF as “they” rather than “us” and expressed his appreciation for the university “taking a chance” on him.

“USF's a phenomenal place,” Hodgson said after the game. “Very appreciative to the administration there for believing in me. When they hired me, I had two years of head coaching experience under my belt… 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 with the utmost respect and resources in order to be successful. The University of South Florida is just scratching the surface. There's so much momentum going on on that campus and in that community. Great leadership, that's what drives all that.”

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Hodgson already reportedly turned down an offer from Syracuse, which fired Adrian ‘Red' Autry at the end of the regular season. He is still expected to receive several other offers from power conference programs in the coming weeks.

Arizona State, Cincinnati, Providence and Butler are all also looking for their next head coaches. Hodgson has no direct connection to either program, making it somewhat of a surprise that he rejected Syracuse, a school in his home state.