South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson made conference history as the American Conference announced its 2025–26 regular season awards. Nelson became the first player ever to sweep the league’s top three individual honors, earning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year in the same season.
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Head coach Bryan Hodgson was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulls to their second regular season title and the top seed in the American Conference Tournament.
All‑Conference Selections and Team Milestones
Nelson was the only unanimous First Team All‑Conference selection and one of four unanimous All‑Newcomer picks. Junior guard Wes Enis joined him on the First Team, marking the first time in program history that two USF players earned First Team honors in the same season.
Joseph Pinion added Third Team All‑Conference recognition and an All‑Newcomer selection. Pinion and Enis each hit 100 three‑pointers, breaking the previous program record of 97 and helping USF set a new team record with 300 made threes.
Nelson’s Dominant Impact
Nelson became only the second player in conference history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, ranking sixth nationally with 18 double‑doubles, tying the second‑highest single‑season mark in program history.
Hodgson’s Coach of the Year Season Powers South Florida’s Historic Rise
Hodgson’s first full season delivered a tie for the program record in regular season wins with 23 and a new record of nine road victories. The Bulls led the conference in offensive and defensive efficiency and broke the program scoring record by averaging 88.4 points per game.
South Florida also set a conference record with six 100‑point games and posted three of the four highest‑scoring conference games in program history
Complete List of Honor’s
Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson, Sr., F (Unanimous)
Defensive Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson, Sr., F
Newcomer of the Year Izaiyah Nelson, Sr., F (Unanimous)
Coach of the Year Bryan Hodgson
First Team All‑Conference Wes Enis, Jr., G (Unanimous All‑Newcomer) Izaiyah Nelson, Sr., F (Unanimous All‑Newcomer)
Third Team All‑Conference Joe Pinion, Sr., G (All‑Newcomer)
ticket-information
Single‑game and season tickets for South Florida men’s basketball are available by calling 1‑800‑Go‑Bulls or visiting USFBullsTix.com. .
