The path to the 2022 football season begins this week with the beginning of summer workouts. One thing that's new this year is coaches can oversee two hours per week of practice time over the next two months.
UCF head coach Gus Malzahn spoke about that and several other topics during the recent Charge On Tour in Oviedo.
What's the offseason been like? I know you've been making some transfer additions, announcing another on your way over here.
"It's been a different offseason, there's no doubt. We had a great spring, I felt like. The portal, we kept most of our players which I think is very important. Then we're adding some players. It's a real good time. Our guys are back. They start working out as a team on Tuesday. A lot of excitement right now."
The NCAA is now allowing coach-supervised workouts during the summer, two hours per week. What are you hoping to accomplish with that?
"That's kind of new. We get to work with the ball for the first time for two hours a week with our players. We're very excited about that. The throwing and the catching, the timing and everything that goes with that. That's something new. We're going to definitely use that to our advantage."
Recruits are visiting in June. What do you want to accomplish?
"June is a huge month for recruiting. We have our Bounce House Weekend. We've got some other things. A lot of official visits. It's very critical. Last year we did really well in June. We need to do the same thing this year."
Eliminating the 25 initial counters and just managing the 85 on scholarship, how much is that a benefit?
"That's a game changer that everybody is working through right now. Official visits, everybody got more than that. It's definitely changed the game. That's another thing we're kind of learning through too. I think the rest of the head coaches in college football can say the same thing."
Did that open up some more scholarships for you in potentially adding more players?
"It could. I think it gives everybody more flexibility. We'll see who goes in the portal. We're looking for the right fit anyway. We've just about got everything wrapped up. That feels really good. We'll see. We could add another one or two. Pretty much got it wrapped up."
What are these tour stops like? What are the fans asking?
"First of all, you can sense the excitement everywhere you go. It feels different than it did this time last year. An event like this is great to come out. You can tell they're excited. Their expectations are to win championships. With the guys we've got coming back, with the transfers coming in and the signing class we had, we're feeling really good right now."
Do you hear it from the fans about those expectations?
"No doubt. I felt that last year. Our fans expect to win. You've got the first year, we went through some growing pains and had some injuries. It's a new day as far as that's concerned."
What did you think about the college football soap opera between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher?
"That was pretty interesting. You don't see that every day. That's something you really hadn't seen before. I think it's a new day in college football in a lot of different ways. There's probably more to come where that came from too."
What do you think about the proposed transfer windows?
"You've got the one-time transfer. The people that graduate that can transfer. Strategically, managing your roster with the 85, it's a new day. It's like the NFL. We're going to have to do a really good job with that."
Looking ahead to the Big 12, how do you keep your guys grounded?
"We're excited about the Big 12, but our guys understand that's the future. We've got to take care of this year. The AAC, our goal is to win the championship. That's a real league. I think everybody knows that. We're taking it one year at a time. Our guys are focused on nothing but this next year. But the big picture, when you're recruiting and everything that goes with that, you can look forward to the Big 12."
How do you feel about the linebacker position? Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste obviously has experience and you're bringing in transfers to supplement the other spots.
"We're bringing in some very talented guys. There's no doubt about that. It starts with Jeremiah. We're real excited. T-Will is the best. He's the best linebacker coach in the country I feel like. We added some very talented guys this summer. The practices this summer are very critical to get those guys ready to go."
The rest of your freshman class arrive this summer. How excited are you to get those guys on campus?
"Our freshmen are showing up this weekend. There's a lot of excitement. There's some guys that are going to help us this year, there's no doubt. Getting those guys on campus, working out and getting them with our team, with the transfers and the guys coming back, it feels real exciting right now."
How do you think this month of June is going to be different in recruiting? Last year you were just getting here and now you've got the Big 12 to recruit with.
"The game changed with the Big 12. There's no doubt. Our staff is pretty much all intact. We kind of know what to expect. We know more about us. And about UCF and everything that goes with it. I think that really helps. It'll be a lot more comfortable. We did pretty well last June. I think we can take it a step further this June."
What does it mean to interact with the fans at events like these?
"This is the fun part for me. Getting out and seeing the fans face to face. Last year at this time we were just getting over COVID. It's wide open and ready to go. Real exciting for me."
How quickly do you want to name a quarterback starter when you get to preseason practice?
"I told both those guys, sooner rather than later. We're going to make sure that we've got the best guy to help us win. The great thing is we've got two quality quarterbacks I feel like we can win a lot of games with. This day and time of the transfer portal, I think that's rare. We've got two real guys. We'll see once fall camp gets here."
