What a difference 24 hours makes.
A day ago, there was a Dungeon meltdown of epic proportions when UCF hired an "old retread" like Gus Malzahn instead of fan and player favorite Jeff Lebby.
Like many of y'all, I'm a big fan of Lebby too and I think he would have done great here.
But to share a quote relayed to me from somebody familiar with Terry Mohajir's thought process, Malzahn represented the "total package."
I think people are seeing it now.
I think TMo recognized, after speaking with the players and getting caught up to speed on how things were run before, that UCF needed a "head coach." Somebody who knows how to run a program and get things done from day one. Somebody the players can have a real connection with. I thought that was addressed very well in the presser.
Yes, Gus has an offense-oriented background, but he understands what complementary football means between offense and defense.
Also, recruiting. It had become lackluster under the previous staff and never really tapped the potential of what it could be for this program. The HC lacked a dynamic personality and there were too many coaches on staff that had a similar vibe. It just seemed disjointed and all over the place, recruiting guys in random states when you're in the middle of Florida. The lack of Florida recruiting over this past year raised a lot of eyebrows. I think there is also a real concern about a talent drain, particularly when you look at who is returning on defense.
I also know TMo was reassured by Malzahn's assurance that he's coming to UCF for the long haul. Look, we really don't know what may happen in two, three, four years, but there are a lot of reasons Gus wouldn't mind putting down more permanent roots in Orlando. He came away as the most impressive candidate anyway, but I think UCF liked this fact a lot considering they had to replace Scott Frost after two years and Josh Heupel after three.
Plus, the Power Five aspect. Pete Thamel really hit the nail on the head here. I wonder if he's just an astute observer or kind of knew what was also appealing to UCF about Gus. We don't know what will happen with future realignment, but there's a belief there could be some shuffling when some of these TV contracts are up in the next few years and UCF wants to remain in the best position possible. UCF definitely sees Gus as a Gary Patterson (TCU) or Kyle Whittingham (Utah) type (Thamel's examples) that gives UCF stability and further credibility.
Gus at UCF also attracts more national attention, not that UCF was necessarily lacking in that department in recent years.
Of course, Gus has got to build this program back into a regular AAC championship contender and NY6 participant. While there is some criticism to how some of his recent Auburn teams have regressed, UCF doesn't have to play Alabama, Georgia and LSU (when they were good) every year in addition to the other SEC powers they face. So the bar is lower in terms of who you need to beat to get over the hump (relative to the level, UCF should be the top dog compared to Cincinnati, Memphis, etc., IMO).
***
Malzahn's personality was a breath of fresh air. Engaging and fun to interact with. UCF's last two head coaches were not great in that department. I'll give Frost credit though - he took a big step forward in his media presence by year two and on certain occasions you could see him getting a bit more comfortable and candid. But his monotone delivery was always stiff.
Heupel knew how to play the role better and talked more than Frost, but said much less. He was definitely the master of coach-speak.
GOL interviews were always interesting. Sure, he might be in a bad mood and you could get snapped at, but he was always candid and entertaining. I never got tired of listening to GOL speak. I never wanted to miss a radio show. I stopped listening to the Heupel interviews (radio, etc.) I wasn't involved in. There was just never anything interesting said. Ever.
Auburn people said Gus was about as energetic as they've seen today. I hope that enthusiasm last. From the media aspect, I think we all will really enjoy a fresh voice.
***
A few of us spoke to Gus after the press conference, just small chit-chat. He was friendly and engaging. He admitted that he should have known the National Championship question was coming, but felt bad he was caught off guard and didn't have a better answer. He said if I'd ask him again in a few weeks he'd have a better response.
It's a fine line - TMo is on the Playoff Committee and Danny's National Championship claim was really intended to be... for lack of a better phrase... a "middle finger" to the current system more than anything else. That's one thing I think UCF needs to continue to embrace, though it seems doubtful due to TMo's status. The current system is a sham and playoff expansion needs to happen with a guaranteed G5 slot.
***
After learning of Gus' hiring, I heard Randy Shannon probably wouldn't be retained and the comments today pretty much backed that up, IMO. I gotta give credit to Jason Beede (247) for asking the "What about Randy Shannon" question. The reaction I think pretty much told us what is going to happen.
I am curious if UCF has a mitigation clause in the Randy Shannon contract, or if they'd owe him the full $1M for 2021 no matter what. Because I'm sure Randy could get another job pretty quickly, be it college or NFL.
Anyway, nothing is official yet here but I think the writing is on the wall.
***
Speaking of a staff, somebody familiar with Gus' plans told me Monday morning that an "impressive" staff is in the works.
Travis Williams could be a part of it. The former Auburn LB coach was picked up by Miami recently, but likely would be coming to UCF as defensive coordinator. Is considered a stud recruiter.
Other names?
Have heard of the possibility of Wesley McGriff. Was on the Auburn staff last season as a DB coach and recently got hired by Dan Mullen at UF.
Also rumors swirling about Cadillac Williams, who was also on Gus' Auburn staff and retained by Bryan Harsin.
Another name that is a possibility is Bobby Bentley, who most recently was TE coach at South Carolina.
Also former SMU and Arkansas HC Chad Morris, who spent 2020 as Malzahn's OC at Auburn. This one comes with a big caveat though as Gus maintains he would be OC and call the plays. His background is with QBs.
These are just a few names that people were hearing today. I am most confident in T-Will (Travis Williams). The tricky thing is going to be salary if there are a lot of current P5 names in the mix. UCF's staff budget is $3.3M.
The strength coach is possibly a done deal already. Ryan Russell, who was Gus' strength coach at Auburn, is expected to be one of the first hires.
***
Heard overwhelmingly positive reaction from the team. Gus is the type of coach players want to play for. He won over most of the players.
But what about DG? We'll see how everything unfolds in the weeks and months to come. Is he a fit for Gus' preferred offense? Will Gus tailor his offense to DG's skill set?
***
The "secret" name in the search that wasn't mentioned previously was Georgia OC Todd Monken. He was higher up than people realize, apparently. Monken did have HC experience, a brief stint at Southern Miss before he went back to the NFL. The other main contenders were Jeff Lebby, Sean Lewis (Kent State HC) and Phil Longo (UNC OC).
A day ago, there was a Dungeon meltdown of epic proportions when UCF hired an "old retread" like Gus Malzahn instead of fan and player favorite Jeff Lebby.
Like many of y'all, I'm a big fan of Lebby too and I think he would have done great here.
But to share a quote relayed to me from somebody familiar with Terry Mohajir's thought process, Malzahn represented the "total package."
I think people are seeing it now.
I think TMo recognized, after speaking with the players and getting caught up to speed on how things were run before, that UCF needed a "head coach." Somebody who knows how to run a program and get things done from day one. Somebody the players can have a real connection with. I thought that was addressed very well in the presser.
Yes, Gus has an offense-oriented background, but he understands what complementary football means between offense and defense.
Also, recruiting. It had become lackluster under the previous staff and never really tapped the potential of what it could be for this program. The HC lacked a dynamic personality and there were too many coaches on staff that had a similar vibe. It just seemed disjointed and all over the place, recruiting guys in random states when you're in the middle of Florida. The lack of Florida recruiting over this past year raised a lot of eyebrows. I think there is also a real concern about a talent drain, particularly when you look at who is returning on defense.
I also know TMo was reassured by Malzahn's assurance that he's coming to UCF for the long haul. Look, we really don't know what may happen in two, three, four years, but there are a lot of reasons Gus wouldn't mind putting down more permanent roots in Orlando. He came away as the most impressive candidate anyway, but I think UCF liked this fact a lot considering they had to replace Scott Frost after two years and Josh Heupel after three.
Plus, the Power Five aspect. Pete Thamel really hit the nail on the head here. I wonder if he's just an astute observer or kind of knew what was also appealing to UCF about Gus. We don't know what will happen with future realignment, but there's a belief there could be some shuffling when some of these TV contracts are up in the next few years and UCF wants to remain in the best position possible. UCF definitely sees Gus as a Gary Patterson (TCU) or Kyle Whittingham (Utah) type (Thamel's examples) that gives UCF stability and further credibility.
Gus at UCF also attracts more national attention, not that UCF was necessarily lacking in that department in recent years.
Of course, Gus has got to build this program back into a regular AAC championship contender and NY6 participant. While there is some criticism to how some of his recent Auburn teams have regressed, UCF doesn't have to play Alabama, Georgia and LSU (when they were good) every year in addition to the other SEC powers they face. So the bar is lower in terms of who you need to beat to get over the hump (relative to the level, UCF should be the top dog compared to Cincinnati, Memphis, etc., IMO).
***
Malzahn's personality was a breath of fresh air. Engaging and fun to interact with. UCF's last two head coaches were not great in that department. I'll give Frost credit though - he took a big step forward in his media presence by year two and on certain occasions you could see him getting a bit more comfortable and candid. But his monotone delivery was always stiff.
Heupel knew how to play the role better and talked more than Frost, but said much less. He was definitely the master of coach-speak.
GOL interviews were always interesting. Sure, he might be in a bad mood and you could get snapped at, but he was always candid and entertaining. I never got tired of listening to GOL speak. I never wanted to miss a radio show. I stopped listening to the Heupel interviews (radio, etc.) I wasn't involved in. There was just never anything interesting said. Ever.
Auburn people said Gus was about as energetic as they've seen today. I hope that enthusiasm last. From the media aspect, I think we all will really enjoy a fresh voice.
***
A few of us spoke to Gus after the press conference, just small chit-chat. He was friendly and engaging. He admitted that he should have known the National Championship question was coming, but felt bad he was caught off guard and didn't have a better answer. He said if I'd ask him again in a few weeks he'd have a better response.
It's a fine line - TMo is on the Playoff Committee and Danny's National Championship claim was really intended to be... for lack of a better phrase... a "middle finger" to the current system more than anything else. That's one thing I think UCF needs to continue to embrace, though it seems doubtful due to TMo's status. The current system is a sham and playoff expansion needs to happen with a guaranteed G5 slot.
***
After learning of Gus' hiring, I heard Randy Shannon probably wouldn't be retained and the comments today pretty much backed that up, IMO. I gotta give credit to Jason Beede (247) for asking the "What about Randy Shannon" question. The reaction I think pretty much told us what is going to happen.
I am curious if UCF has a mitigation clause in the Randy Shannon contract, or if they'd owe him the full $1M for 2021 no matter what. Because I'm sure Randy could get another job pretty quickly, be it college or NFL.
Anyway, nothing is official yet here but I think the writing is on the wall.
***
Speaking of a staff, somebody familiar with Gus' plans told me Monday morning that an "impressive" staff is in the works.
Travis Williams could be a part of it. The former Auburn LB coach was picked up by Miami recently, but likely would be coming to UCF as defensive coordinator. Is considered a stud recruiter.
Other names?
Have heard of the possibility of Wesley McGriff. Was on the Auburn staff last season as a DB coach and recently got hired by Dan Mullen at UF.
Also rumors swirling about Cadillac Williams, who was also on Gus' Auburn staff and retained by Bryan Harsin.
Another name that is a possibility is Bobby Bentley, who most recently was TE coach at South Carolina.
Also former SMU and Arkansas HC Chad Morris, who spent 2020 as Malzahn's OC at Auburn. This one comes with a big caveat though as Gus maintains he would be OC and call the plays. His background is with QBs.
These are just a few names that people were hearing today. I am most confident in T-Will (Travis Williams). The tricky thing is going to be salary if there are a lot of current P5 names in the mix. UCF's staff budget is $3.3M.
The strength coach is possibly a done deal already. Ryan Russell, who was Gus' strength coach at Auburn, is expected to be one of the first hires.
***
Heard overwhelmingly positive reaction from the team. Gus is the type of coach players want to play for. He won over most of the players.
But what about DG? We'll see how everything unfolds in the weeks and months to come. Is he a fit for Gus' preferred offense? Will Gus tailor his offense to DG's skill set?
***
The "secret" name in the search that wasn't mentioned previously was Georgia OC Todd Monken. He was higher up than people realize, apparently. Monken did have HC experience, a brief stint at Southern Miss before he went back to the NFL. The other main contenders were Jeff Lebby, Sean Lewis (Kent State HC) and Phil Longo (UNC OC).
