Strong’s new home has been perfect fit
Former UT coach has 7-0 program off to best start
On his visit to South Florida, Charlie Strong did not need a tour guide to show him around Tampa.
“He knew the better route than I did to get to campus from the airport,” USF athletic director Mark Harlan said. “He says, ‘There’s Hillsborough High School right around the corner.’ ”
Long convinced that Strong was the right choice to lead the USF football program, Harlan smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” Strong asked.
“This is your turf,” Harlan responded.
When Strong agreed last December to become the fourth football coach in school history, he said the next chapter in his life “felt like home,” and it should with his deep Florida roots and long history of recruit-
ing the state.
So far it has been quite the homecoming for Strong, who has the Bulls 7-0 and off to the best start in school history entering Saturday’s game against the University of Houston. USF is No. 17 in the national rankings and among the favorites to land a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.
“Fit is so important in these jobs, and it’s hard to imagine there could have been any better fit than Charlie Strong at the University of South Florida,” Harlan said.
It’s also a chance at a fresh start for Strong after three straight losing seasons at the University of Texas, one of the most tradition-rich, pressurecooker jobs in college football to relative obscurity at a school that has been playing only 17 years in Football Bowl Subdivision and resides outside the socalled Power Five in the American Athletic Conference.
Months later, Strong says the USF “has been an easy transition” and “a great move for me.”
“Now it’s time to build a program here,” Strong, 57, said at his introductory news conference.
Days earlier, Harlan knew he had the right man for the job. He admired how Strong’s players gravitated to him. He respected his integrity for doing things the right way. How his leadership “came across so clearly in our conversations.”
“I like to say we didn’t even talk about Xs and Os in the first four hours,” Harlan said of his visit to Austin to meet with Strong and his family during the coaching search. “Maybe the last five minutes.”
The timing was perfect. Strong was fired on Nov. 26 after going 16-21 in three seasons at UT. Eleven days later, Willie Taggart left USF to take the job at Oregon.
‘Mutual love affair’
Less than a week later, Strong agreed to return to the state where he spent 13 years of his coaching career in four stints at the University of Florida and won a pair of national championships as defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer. His wife Victoria’s parents also live within an hour’s drive of Tampa.
Harlan said the pairing has produced a “mutual love affair” between Strong and his family and the Tampa community. The arrival of the big-name Strong — who went 23-3 in his final two seasons at Louisville — also has given USF a boost in credibility.
“It certainly catches the attention of folks when you hire someone like that,” Harlan said.
On the field, Strong inherited a veteran roster and has kept the momentum from a year ago when the Bulls went 11-2 for the best season in school history.
This season, the Bulls have won their seven games by an average of 23 points. USF owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games. And an explosive offense that has scored at least 30 points in 24 straight games, a modern-era record dating to 1936.
The biggest improvement has come on defense, where the Bulls have gone from 92nd to 24th in scoring defense, 120th to 18th in total defense and 84th to ninth in rushing defense.
“(Strong) was humbled by the job,” senior linebacker Auggie Sanchez said. “I don’t think he came in here with the idea that this job was smaller than what he’s had before. I think he just came in with the idea he wanted to coach football and he had a good opportunity to win here.”
Strong also has something that was missing during his tenure in Austin: a proven quarterback. Quinton Flowers is regarded as one of the top dualthreat quarterbacks in the nation and is the reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Didn’t change his ways
Did he change his approach after Texas?
“No, because I knew how to coach before I went to Texas, so I was not going to change who I was coming out of there,” Strong told the Tampa Bay Times. “You have a certain way you coach, you have certain principles that you believe in, so don’t let Texas change you. You’ve got to stay who you are.”
Harlan said Strong has helped re-engage donors, and attendance has seen an upward trend — a hard sell playing in a pro-team market and at 65,857-seat Raymond James Stadium. Recently the school unveiled plans for a $200 million on-campus stadium.
“We’re just getting started,” Harlan said. “We have some really big plans ahead to enhance the football program, and Charlie is going to be a big part of that.”
Since his firing at Texas, Strong said he has “no regrets” and enjoyed “so many great moments” in Austin. Although he never had a winning season — his .432 winning percentage is lowest of any coach in UT history — he did not leave the cupboard bare with his final two recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 nationally.
At his introductory news conference, Strong said: “I baked the cake at Texas. Now it’s Tom Herman’s job to put icing on the cake and win a lot of games.” That hasn’t been the case so far, with the Longhorns 3-4 under Herman. If Strong continues to win, Harlan understands that Power Five schools are likely to come calling.
“I operate under the philosophy that I’m very honored when any program wants to take a hard look at our coaches,” he said. “When it comes to Charlie, I believe strongly that we are just getting started building a machine here that can be extremely special over the years.”
Just like that day in the car, Harlan believes Strong has the map to make that plan a reality. He knows the road well.
“He continues to get to campus quicker than I do,” Harlan said.