UCF head coach Gus Malzahn met with the media on Wednesday to talk about the transfer class and other topics. Spring practice begins in March.
Opening statement:
"First of all, I'd like to start out by thanking everyone that has prayed for my wife and prayed for our family during this time. It means the world to us. She's been back home close to a week now which is a true blessing and continuing to improve. Really want to give a shout out to our staff too. They've done a great job in my absence, allowed me to be with my wife which I needed to be. They've done a super job with that. I really appreciate our staff.
"The eight transfers, I wanted to say something brief about each one of those guys. We had our signing class and we were very excited about. We felt like we needed to identify a few positions to give us help. We definitely have done that. Our staff did a super job recruiting these guys.
"Starting off with (tight end) Kemore Gamble, a guy that's so versatile. I had a former player, C.J. Uzomah, who is fixing to play in the Super Bowl (with the Cincinnati Bengals). I think there's a lot of similarities. He's very versatile. He's like a receiver, but he's very physical too. We're very excited to bring him on board.
"Kobe Hudson, a wide receiver. I think I started recruiting him in the eighth grade. I know his family extremely well. Wonderful family. He led his team last year in receiving yards. He's a very talented young man that has a lot of leadership ability too.
"Lee Hunter, a defensive tackle. He's a guy that I recruited for a long period of time too. He's got a lot of talent. He's a wonderful person. He's got a wonderful family too.
"Terrence Lewis, a linebacker. Me and Travis actually recruited him real hard at the school we were at previously. We knew a lot about him. That really helped with the transition as far as that goes. Getting him here, that relationship with T-Will, him and his dad. We think he has a chance to be a phenomenal player.
"KD McDaniel, a defensive end, transfer from Kentucky. He's from the area that Big Kat Bryant is from. We recruited him at the previous school we were at, so we knew a little bit about him. He came on an official visit. We think he's got a real chance to really help us too.
"Koby Perry, a defensive back from Austin Peay. I think he was the Defensive Player of the Year in their conference. Bryson Armstrong, I think there's some similarities with that story. He's got a great spirit about him. He's a very talented young man. We're excited about him.
"(Quarterback) John Rhys Plumlee, he's a guy I recruited at the previous school I was at. Recruited him really hard as a matter of fact, to play quarterback. I just think he's got an unbelievable skill set to do a lot of great things.
"Ryan Swoboda, an offensive tackle. He could have gone to the NFL this past year and he chose to get in the portal. He's a local guy which I think is important. You remember how important I said that was the first day I was hired about keeping our local talent here. He's an NFL guy. He's going to really provide a lot for us. Even leadership.
"Then I wanted to throw in Colton Boomer. He's a five-star kicker. I know he's a walk-on. He's a scholarship-type player. There's no doubt about that. Now that he's enrolled, I can brag on him. He's got a huge leg. He's a really good athlete. He runs a 4.4, 4.5 which you don't see that in a kicker very much either. We're really excited about him.
"Overall, it's exciting to be back. I love our team. I missed our team. I'll tell you that. We've got some wonderful human beings, players. We've got a chance to be really good next year too. That's real exciting. They know that. We've got to work. They understand that. We're a year into this. Last year at this time, we were just trying to figure out our players. What we had, what we didn't have. We hit the ground running. We learned about our players during spring ball and they learned about us. Fast forward another year and it's completely different now. Real excited about this coming season."
What more can you say about the staff holding things down when you needed to be with your wife? I know there was a big recruiting event a couple weeks ago, plus getting those transfers in and getting ready for spring.
"Our staff is family. That's who they are. They didn't miss a beat. Lot of these guys, we've been together a long time. It was very comforting to me to be able to be my wife which I really needed to. It was in good hands. Our staff just did an unbelievable job with that. We're still working on '23s and '24s now. That period of time in January, that's what you're doing these days. We're off to a good start with that."
More on the post-signing day transfer additions, they happened to be four offensive players and four defensive players. Was that the plan or just how it happened?
"We're in a unique time in college football now. Roster management is so important now with the guys that left, you have a few departures, well you've got to look at the big picture. We've got some excellent freshmen coming in too. We're going to continue to build the foundation with that. You've also got to look, let's plug in in, what are our needs? That's really what we did. That was by design. We're blessed to have these guys. They're all what I'd say are real players. I'll say this: They're good people. We're not just bringing in a big-time player if he doesn't fit our culture. If he's not a good person. That's really important to us."
Can you talk about how you worked with UCF baseball coach Greg Lovelady on the recruitment of John Rhys Plumlee?
"Obviously they played Ole Miss last year anyway, so Coach (Lovelady) knew about him. He knew about this program. Baseball is very important to him. He's gonna do both. I'm excited about it."
A lot of these transfers are coming from the SEC. What does it say about your program that they are taking into that and how can that help your guys and benefit them working together especially?
"I think it says a lot about the program here and where the program is going. That people want to be a part. These weren't just backups that transferred. These were leaders in their specific category at their position. I just think that people know something special is going on here. We've been dreaming. We've been dreaming since Terry hired me. We're going to continue to do that. People want to be a part of that. That's real exciting. Like I said, we've got a chance to have a really good football team next year."
You talked a little about Colton Boomer. You had some kicking inconsistencies lsat year. Does he add to the competition for the starting position?
"I think you just said it. Competition brings out the best in everybody. Daniel (Obarski) did some good stuff. Played really good in the bowl game. Set some sort of record and helped us win. Colton in that competition, he's a real guy I think. We're looking forward to the spring and fall. Competition brings out the best in everybody."
John Rhys Plumlee and Thomas Castellanos were both added to the quarterback room. What kind of competition between them and Mikey Keene, Joey Gatewood and Parker Navarro?
"There's going to be great competition. There's no doubt about that. The two guys you just talked about, they're capable of creating when things break down which I think is very important in college football. Extending plays. Both those guys can do that. That's exciting. You can never have enough quality depth in the quarterback room. It'll be a great competition."
I know the transfer portal can go both ways. This being the first year of immediate eligibility, we saw it in full action, so how do you like it? You needed experience in the quarterback room, you got one. You needed a receiver and you got a leading receiver from the SEC. It seemed like it really worked to your advantage this year.
"I think it's a learning process for everyone. It's new. The great thing about here is it's a very attractive place. There were a lot of guys that are really good players we didn't decide to go on. It says a lot about this place and a lot about the future. It's something you've got to adjust. You hear some of these coaches, oh I like it, I don't like it. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not. This is the new reality in college football. The ones that can adjust, they're going to be successful. The ones that are all jacked up about it, it's gonna be tough on them."
Next week marks a year since you were hired at UCF. Does it feel longer? What do you think you've learned about yourself as a coach over the past year?
"First of all, I love this place. I knew it was a really good job. My comfort knowing Terry and working with him, that was real exciting to me. Now being here a year, it's even better than I thought. It's a wonderful place with wonderful people. Our fanbase is just so fun. So good. The administration here is unbelievable. Everything is in alignment. It starts with our president to Terry on down. That's really a huge key to having a chance to win a championship when you're the football coach. I love our players. I just told them a minute ago in our team meeting, I missed them. I just love who they are. Love being around them. It's set up and that's not coach-speak. That's not some kind of pipe dream. This place is set up. This place is a goldmine. I'm just blessed to be part of it."
You just said you can never have enough depth. Are you satisfied with the quality of depth?
"Oh yeah. I'm excited. You look at what Mikey (Keene) did last year and he was learning on the go. He did a wonderful job. Then the two new guys coming in. Parker did some good things with his feet. Joey played. It's going to be an exciting spring and exciting fall."
Speaking of spring, how will this team improve in this stretch coming up?
"In spring, we know what we have now. We can start building around those strengths. We were learning last year. We know what we have. We can be a lot more specific. We can improve and will improve. Give us that summer part to tweak things and get better. We're in a good spot. Last year, we won nine games and some of them were tough wins that probably weren't real pretty wins. But our guys found a way to win. You couple that with experience we've got coming back. We've got some real guys, some NFL guys coming back before these transfers. I probably need to talk about them even more. The guys coming back that helped us win that big bowl game and all that. It's all going in the right direction."
Kemore Gamble, he did very well and played against you guys in the Gasparilla Bowl. What can he offer and what do you expect his veteran presence can do with the tight end room?
"He's played in big games and played well in big games. He knows what that feels like. I think leadership wise can do that. Like I said, I think that's a pretty big compliment about C.J. Uzomah, one of my favorite players to coach. Just a true winner and obviously playing in a Super Bowl this coming week. I think there's some similarities just watching their film. When you turn on what C.J. did in college there's some similarities. That's real exciting."
I know you haven't worked with him on the field yet, but John Rhys Plumlee, what do you like about his skill set and does he remind you of anyone you've ever coached?
"I coached Nick Marshall. I don't know exactly, but there's some similarities. That 2019 year we played against them and he started against us. He was like a video game against some really, really good people. LSUs, Alabamas. So, yeah. He's got a very good skill set."
Lee Hunter, defensive tackle you just added from the transfer portal. A guy you recruited previously. Can you talk about more about him and what he provides to your interior line?
"Lee is a big athlete. I'll just say that. He's not your traditional tackle. He's an athlete. Lee's a really good person. He's one of those guys when I was recruiting him, he was just a joy to recruit and getting to know him on a personal basis. He's a very competitive guy. He's high school coach is a wonderful person. His mom is. We're blessed to have him. I think he's going to do real good. He'll fit in really good with what we're doing. It's going to be exciting to see what he does."
Who do you have on Sunday? Any former players you'll be rooting for?
"Honestly, I've not kept up or gotten a chance to watch any professional football with everything that was going on with Kristi. Obviously C.J. is a guy that I'll always root for. Hopefully I'll get a chance to watch the game."
How does Chip Lindsey's previous coaching experience benefit you and your staff?
"The thing about T-Will and Chip, we're really close. We've been together a long time. Been through the ups and downs, the heat of the battle. We've been on championship teams together too. Just the fact Chip is here is really good for me. He's a guy that we know each other well. We think alike. He is very, very talented. He is a great coach. He's a great quarterback developer. He's been a head coach. I think that's important at this level too. Just a great compliment to our staff."
You added Tre'Von Moore, he popped up on UCF's Instagram in January. What does he add to the team?
"We'll see. We'll see how the spring goes and I can get a little more specific."
How have the transfers integrated with the team and who has stood out in their limited time on campus?
"I think even last year, we brought in some transfers last year. Our team really embraced them. They took them in and extended that family hand right off the bat instead of, 'Oh, that guy is coming in to take my position.' There wasn't any of that. That says a lot about the leaders that we have on our team. It says a lot about our program. Like I said, I inherited some really fine individuals. Some fine football players. I told the last coach, I really appreciate him recruiting these guys. It's a blessing for me to coach. It's a great thing for new guys coming in."
Beating Florida in a bowl game and going to the Big 12 next year, what is that going to do in recruiting? A lot of recruits are starting to talk about those two things. How will that help your program?
"The biggest thing we've run into since we've been here is the non-Power Five. We've tried to change the narrative. We talked about that. For this class, that's no longer the case. That's a game-changer for us. We've out-recruited people. I really believe there's quite a few that felt this was the best place for them, but they couldn't get over that non-Power Five in their mind. That's real for young kids with Instagram and Twitter. That's real stuff. That is huge for us. That will no longer be the case that we'll have us be at a disadvantage. That's where it's real exciting for me. We recruited very well this past year, this past class, but it's fixing to be a lot better."
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