South Florida added another key piece to the 2024 recruiting puzzle with the commitment of Forsyth Central (Ga.) offensive lineman Braden Carter. Carter took an official visit last weekend to Tampa and that closed the deal for the talented lineman.

Carter explained his decision.

"Just everything about Tampa is great but the main reason I went with USF over my other offers is the coaching staff and the players," he said. "Everyone I met while there was nothing but great to me. Coach Golesh has done a great job building such a great staff there it is just something I want to be a part of. Most of all I love how personable everyone is in that program. being able to walk into a head coach's office and talk to him about anything no matter if it is football or not. It is an amazing thing to me. Also getting to be around all of the guys I felt like I fit in great with them even though I had only got to get to know them just for those two days. It felt like I was already a part of the team. I’m just excited to get down to Tampa and do great things."

During the visit, offensive line coach Tyler Hudanick bonded with Carter and the two talked shop.

"Coach Hoodie was a great energy to be around all weekend with and getting to go watch them practice and see the way he coaches was amazing," Carter said. He is definitely the one I want to be coached by. I love Coach Hoodie and being around him all weekend and really getting to know him not as just a coach but as a person really made us close."

The energy and the culture that Coach Golesh has built around the program really resonated with Carter.

Spending time with Coach Golesh made Carter feel at ease.

"Coach Golesh is great and very personable," he said. You can really tell he truly cares about everyone on the team and staff."

USF offensive lineman Derek Bowman played host for Carter and shared his insights on the program especially compared to his former school.

"Derek just said his time there has been great compared to his time at Houston and the coaches here are very reliable and personable with every play no matter if you are a walk-on or a starter," Carter said. "Derek also talked about the great bonds you make with your teammates there are unmatched compared to other schools."