November 02, 2026 | Football
Hicks tied a program record with four sacks, two of which forced fumbles returned for touchdowns, in USF's win over UAB
TAMPA, Fla., November 2, 2026 – South Florida defensive end C.J. Hicks has been named The American Conference's Defensive Player of the Week after a dominant performance in the Bulls' 30-10 win over UAB on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.
Hicks tied a program record with four sacks of his own, part of a season-high six team sacks and 11 tackles for loss that overwhelmed the UAB offensive line. Two of his sacks jarred the ball loose, and both fumbles were scooped up and returned for touchdowns — a 13-yard return by Grayson Howard in the fourth quarter and a 6-yard return by Asani Redwood in the second — swinging momentum USF's way in a game the Bulls trailed 10-0 early.
The USF defense finished the day with 11 tackles for loss and held UAB to just 177 total yards and 0.5 yards per rush. Hicks' heroics helped the Bulls erase an early 10-point deficit and reel off 30 unanswered points to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play, clinching bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season.
"Four sacks, tie program record, two fumbles, of course, that resulted in touchdowns, obviously, had an impact," head coach Brian Hartline said of Hicks' performance.
Up Next: South Florida (6-2, 2-2 American) travels to face East Carolina on Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
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About South Florida Football
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30th season in 2026.
In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on an on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027.
The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. The Bulls spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings during the 2007 season.
