UCF head coach Gus Malzahn joined 365 Sports on Thursday to talk transfer portal, the program's trajectory in the Big 12 and other topics.
Hosted by Craig Smoak, David Smoak and Paul Catalina, 365 Sports is streamed daily on Youtube from 4-7 p.m. EST.
Reflecting on the Knights' first year in the Big 12, Malzahn said it was a learning experience.
"There's quality teams and you've got to play well to win," Malzahn said. "The thing about this year is we only play two teams that were on last year's schedule. It's like we're starting over. The four new teams from out west, we play them all. It was a good experience (last year) and we're looking forward to this year."
UCF's biggest portal prize of the offseason was landing former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson.
"KJ is a guy that I recruited in high school, the same year I recruited Bo Nix," Malzahn said. "His skill set really fits what we like to do. He's a big guy with a great arm. He's thrown for almost 8,000 yards and throws a great deep ball. He can run too. He's an experienced guy. When he went in the portal we circled him. We were very glad to get him."
Looking at other portal needs, Malzahn said they had to build quality depth.
"We had to get more depth at linebacker. We hit the portal right after the season. The best thing we did was hold on to our top guys. We didn't really lose very many guys and we held on to our top ones. We went in the portal and addressed those needs. We got some experienced linebackers. I think that was great. We added different positions, guys that could come in with experience that had been successful at other places."
Malzahn was asked whether their 2023 depth perhaps was not quite up to par as they transitioned from the American to the Big 12.
"I think that's fair to say," Malzahn said. "Like I said, any time you go into a new conference there's a learning curve. We're really trying to build quality depth, but obviously there's nothing like going through it and seeing what reality is. It was good for us to get that foundation of that first year and seeing what we need to do as a program to be able to compete for a championship in that league.
"It's a good conference. Every week you're playing a good team. There's no off week. That was our mindset after the season as far as addressing our needs."
Malzahn said the portal is an convenient avenue to address immediate needs, but stressed again the importance of keeping your roster intact.
"I think the key to a program's success is going to be keeping their top players and not losing them," Malzahn said. "That way you can have continuity. We've had great success in the portal, but I think it's even more important that we kept most of our top guys."
David Smoak mentioned they recently interviewed Texas State head coach GJ Kinne, who is a former quarterback that played for Malzahn at Tulsa and also was part of Malzahn's first UCF staff in 2021.
"I think the sky is the limit for GJ," Malzahn said. "He is a young guy, but he is very intelligent. He has the unique ability to make really good decisions when the pressure is the highest. He relates well to players. He did a great job for us the first year we were here. We had Dillon Gabriel coming back. We had him for three games and I think we were the No. 1 (offensive) team statistically. He gets hurt last play (of the third game) and we had to throw a true freshman (Mikey Keene) in there. He ended up winning seven games and we had a big bowl win against Florida. GJ deserves a lot of credit for his development and helping me as my right-hand person. The sky is the limit. Doesn't surprise me at all that he had the success he had last year with a top 10 offense."
Other head coaches under Malzahn's coaching tree were mentioned, including Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) and Mike Norvell (Florida State).
Malzahn said being a head coach today is vastly different than it was just three years ago.
"Roster management is so important," Malzahn said. "(You have to be) a little bit of a GM. The role of a head coach has really changed. What I love to do is coaching players on the field. Once your spring practice, fall camp starts, that's the funnest part for me. The reality is putting together a competitive roster each year and keeping the integrity of your program with your core beliefs. That's the challenge for all coaches in this day and time."
Later, Malzahn spoke about why coming to UCF was so appealing for him.
"This place is a goldmine. It really is. Our best days are ahead of us. I don't think it's going to be very long at all. Everything is set now that we're in the Big 12, a Power Five conference. We're right in the middle of the state. We're in Orlando with no NFL team. The best brands in the world are here. You think about NIL and branding and everything that goes with the new age of college football, it's all set up. I'm real excited and looking forward to the future."
Paul Catalina was in Orlando for last year's game against Baylor and he raved about the gameday experience.
"We're a young school," Malzahn said. "I think we're the youngest Power Five school. Average age of our alumni is 36. We graduate 19 or 20,000 every single year. We're one of the fastest-growing fanbases too."
UCF's spring portal success was mentioned, particularly pairing up running back Peny Boone with returning starter RJ Harvey. Boone, the 2023 MAC Offensive Player of the Year at Toledo, committed last week.
"We're real excited about that room," Malzahn said. "We've got some really talented guys that I think are NFL guys along with KJ Jefferson. You're talking about some big guys that have been successful. We're very excited about that. We believe in running the football, playing fast and throwing it deep. It fits to what we're looking for."
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