Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh named new South Florida coach

Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh is the new football coach at South Florida.

USF announced his hiring on Sunday. It ends a short but immensely successful two-year run for Golesh as Tennessee coach Josh Heupel's right-hand man in designing the best offense in college football.

Golesh, 38, is a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football.

The Vols rank No. 1 in scoring offense and total offense in FBS. Quarterback Hendon Hooker is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is a Biletnikoff finalist. And Tennessee is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to college football's best offensive line.

Golesh replaces former Clemson wide receiver coach Jeff Scott, who had a 4-26 record and 1-19 mark in the American Athletic Conference in three seasons at USF.

How will Golesh's exit affect Vols in bowl?

No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) will play Clemson (11-2) in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 (8 p.m., ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported Golesh will not coach the Vols offense in the bowl and instead head immediately to USF.

Golesh has work to do at USF. The early signing period opens Dec. 21, and Golesh must hire a staff. So expect Heupel to handle most or all of the play-calling duties in the Orange Bowl.

Heupel has collaborated with Golesh and numerous assistants to design the fastest-operating offense in college football. He and Golesh have shared play-calling duties, but they have shied away from discussing their specific contributions.

Golesh was a no-brainer as head coaching candidate

This isn't shocking news for Golesh or the Vols.

He is Tennessee's first Broyles Award finalist since former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe won the the honor during the Vols' 1998 national title season and parlayed it into a head coaching gig at Ole Miss.

And other past Broyles Award winners have used the recognition to get on the fast track to a head coaching job. They include Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Pat Narduzzi, Gus Malzahn and Steve Sarkisian among others.

This year's Broyles Award winner will be announced on Tuesday. Other finalists are Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.

Tennessee did its part to try to keep Golesh as long as it could.

In August, Golesh's pay was raised from $750,000 to $1.2 million annually. And his contract was extended through the 2024 season. Tennessee gave Heupel and every assistant a raise and one-year contract extension before this season.

Golesh's college coaching career started as an Ohio State student assistant. He served on staffs at Northern Illinois (2006-07), Oklahoma State (2008), Toledo (2009-11), Illinois (2012-15), Iowa State (2016-19) and Central Florida (2020).

That last stop at UCF was under Heupel, who brought him to Tennessee. Now Golesh will return to Florida for his first head coaching position.

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.