Following a second disappointing season in the Big 12 Conference, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn has stepped down as head coach of the program.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Malzahn has accepted a new job to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State under Mike Norvell.
Malzahn leaves UCF after four seasons with the program from 2021-2024. During his time in Orlando, Malzahn led the group to an overall record of 28-24 and 16-18 in conference play. Since joining the Big 12 Conference ahead of the 2023 season, the Knights finished with a 5-13 record in league play throughout the two-year stint.
Malzahn’s ties to Florida State stem both from the local scene and with some direct correlation to current head coach Mike Norvell. The duo worked together in 2007 and 2008 at Tulsa, where Norvell served as a graduate assistant on Malzahn’s staff.
The move serves as a seismic shake-up for both programs, as the 2024 season was unkind to both Florida State and UCF. Florida State, after being selected as a preseason Top 10 team in the AP Poll, finished the year at the bottom of the ACC with a 2-9 overall record and 1-7 in league play.
As for UCF, the move came at a time when the program was in a downward spiral. Had Malzahn stuck with the program, he would have been planted firmly on the hot seat after his squad lost eight of the last nine games, with issues in development and performance.
UCF now enters the offseason coaching search as a trendy destination with local recruiting ties in a pipeline state, solid NIL backing, and dreams of competing as a future contender in the Big 12 Conference.
