TAMPA, Fla. — This was before the depth chart. Before the first spring practice. Heck, it was before Brian Hartline had a chance to blow a whistle for the first time as a head coach. Before all of that, USF’s football team got a lesson in accountability. A recent social media post suggested an unnamed USF running back was late for a weightlifting session and, as a punishment, had his locker ...

USF football head coach Brian Hartline sent a message to his players about accountability in the days before the Bulls began spring practice.

Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

TAMPA, Fla. — This was before the depth chart. Before the first spring practice. Heck, it was before Brian Hartline had a chance to blow a whistle for the first time as a head coach.

Before all of that, USF’s football team got a lesson in accountability.

A recent social media post suggested an unnamed USF running back was late for a weightlifting session and, as a punishment, had his locker room privileges revoked. Except Hartline didn’t stop there. He banned the entire running back group for a couple of days. Not to mention, the running backs coach.

It seems one player had already gotten away with a warning after being tardy. The running back group wasn’t so lucky with the second transgression. They were forced to get dressed outside the locker room and were responsible for washing their own clothes.

Hartline said he was caught off guard when the brief banishment was brought up on a podcast with former Florida/Ohio State coach Urban Meyer but, after meeting reporters following Wednesday’s first spring practice, the coach acknowledged the gist of the story was true.

“Ideally, I’d love to keep things in-house, but the fact that it’s out there, yeah we have an accountability standard,” Hartline said. “It’s an honor to have the equipment staff take care of our lockers, it’s an honor to be in that locker room, it’s an honor to have (strength and conditioning coach Antonio Turner) and his staff train you and give you everything they have. That is something of value … you don’t just get it, that’s not how this works.

“We have a system in place that allows these guys to be motivated to not be tardy, but there was a line that ends up getting crossed. And I assure you, the coach is involved as well in that position group. It’s a whole unit mentality.”

For just a moment, Hartline seemed almost amused by the incident. As if he was waiting for someone to cross a line so he could use the misdemeanor as a teachable moment. Responsibilities that don’t require talent, he told Meyer, are non-negotiable.

Which is probably a nice place for a program with nearly 60 new players and a new coaching staff to start afresh.

With so many new faces, Hartline said the Bulls are not likely to come out of the April 19 spring game with too many starters etched in stone. That includes at quarterback, where four transfers will be competing to replace Byrum Brown, who transferred to Auburn with former USF coach Alex Golesh.

Michael Van Buren, who has started a dozen games at Mississippi State and LSU the past two seasons, has the most Power Four experience of the group. Luke Kromenhoek, who started two games at Florida State in 2024 and was a backup at Mississippi State last season, was a highly touted recruit with offers from Florida, Tennessee and Penn State among others. KJ Cooper had extensive playing time at Texas Southern, and Jayden Bradford was a backup at Liberty College after going 18-1 at IMG Academy.

“The main, No. 1 aspect for a quarterback is to manage the game, manage the team, manage the offense,” Hartline said. “So we want a guy we trust. We want a guy who provides a lot of value to his other teammates and is consistent emotionally and production-wise, day in and day out.”

For all the noise about the installation of new offensive and defensive systems, the goal in USF’s spring practices appears to be setting expectations and establishing a culture. That includes identifying leaders who can police the player group without the coaching staff continually stepping in.

Most teams, Hartline said, have the same bare bones on offense and defense. There are variations and nuances, but the difference between winning and losing often comes down to effort and execution. Those are the type of qualities Hartline said he wants instilled over the next several weeks.

And it starts, he said, with a relentless attitude.

“(When) we say relentless, it’s just a characteristic of the effort level, right?” Hartline said. “We’re learning how to do things. These guys will hear a lot that it’s not what we do, it’s how we do it.”

How will the Bulls do it?

Well, for starters, they’ll be on time.

Otherwise, they could find themselves washing and folding their uniforms at a local laundromat.

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