Gus Malzahn has resigned as head coach of UCF. The school released a statement Saturday night. Malzahn will reportedly become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State. Who might replace him at UCF? Below are some candidates who could do well at UCF. Excluded is anyone currently on the staff including coordinators Tim Harris and Addison Williams because there is a lack of experience and a hard reset with the staff is the likeliest of options.
How Did We Get Here?
As the college football landscape continues to change, the role of the head coach is evolving. Last year, Chip Kelly left as UCLA’s head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. He said that the main reason why is because he wants to coach again. The role of a head coach in college football has become something of a program CEO who focuses on just about everything else other than coaching. This is not likely to change anytime soon as NIL continues to evolve. With the House case settlement, schools will be working to bring the affiliated NIL collective in-house. UCF has already announced its plan to do just that.
Malzahn struggled in 2024. The team was not producing and by the last game, they had lost seven of eight and there was rising tension between him and other coaches. He realized he could not balance that CEO-like and his love for play-calling. He ultimately relinquished play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tim Harris, but it was very apparent that Malzahn was not happy. The locker room had multiple players depart midseason with the intention of transferring and his on-field demeanor disintegrated as the losses mounted. By following Kelly’s lead, he will be able to coach and be the primary play-caller again.
While it was unexpected that Malzahn would wind up at Florida State under Mike Norvell, a former graduate assistant for Gus at Tulsa, this move isn’t surprising. Auburn paid Malzahn over $21 million to not coach them with no offset language, and he was paid well at UCF, so money is not an option. UCF stands to benefit as the school is owed $6 million as a result of Gus resigning. Whether Malzahn or Florida State will be footing that bill will need to be figured out.
Jamey Chadwell – Head Coach, Liberty
The last time UCF had to hire a new head coach, Jamey Chadwell was on my shortlist. He was still at Coastal Carolina at the time and it was noted that while Chadwell had success at his prior job at Charleston Southern, multiple NCAA violations resulted in vacated wins and a vacated conference championship. Since then, Chadwell has not gotten into any trouble. Overall, he has one Sun Belt Conference and one Conference USA championship over his six years as an FBS head coach. Chadwell will not come cheap as he’s currently making an average of $4 million per year at Liberty. It was reported Mississippi State was prepared to offer $6 million plus to Chadwell last year, but he was committed to Liberty. Maybe a year later, he might be willing to entertain a new challenge.
Kyle Flood – Offensive Coordinator, Texas
Flood was the head coach at Rutgers from 2012-2015, including the one year the Scarlet Knights and UCF were conference mates in 2013. Rutgers played at UCF that year and he got to see the school. Flood is a rarity in that he has a winning record at Rutgers with a 27-24 record and a share of the 2012 Big East Conference championship. In 2014, his team won eight games in their first year in the Big Ten. In 2015, there was alleged misconduct against Flood, and multiple players were arrested on felony charges.
He ultimately lost his job that year and has been working his way back up since. He was an assistant offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018, the offensive line coach at Alabama in 2019 and 2020, and has been the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Texas since 2021. It’s worth noting that Flood was part of Alabama’s CFP championship team in the 2020 season.
Alex Golesh – Head Coach, South Florida
Alex Golesh spent one season in 2020 as the co-offensive coordinator at UCF under then-head coach Josh Heupel. He joined Heupel at Tennessee as his offensive coordinator and spent two seasons in Knoxville. In 2023, South Florida hired Golesh as head coach for a program that had been run into the ground. Under the prior head coach Jeff Scott, the Bulls went 4-29 in three seasons. In his two seasons at South Florida, the Bulls have been able to become bowl-eligible in both seasons and amass a 13-12 record. Golesh’s current recruiting relationships in Florida make him a candidate worth keeping an eye on.
GJ Kinne – Head Coach, Texas State
One of the less likely candidates, GJ Kinne was the offensive coordinator at UCF during Malzahn’s first season in 2021. Malzahn’s first season was his most successful as the Knights overcame losing their starting quarterback early in the year to win nine games, including the Gasparilla Bowl against Florida. Kinne just signed a new deal with Texas State and that could take him out of the running, but everyone has a price. If UCF wants him enough, they will find a way.
Ryan Silverfield – Head Coach, Memphis
Ryan Silverfield and UCF have a lot of experience together. He was a graduate assistant for George O’Leary at UCF in 2006 and 2007. He’s also been on the coaching staff at Memphis since 2016. Silverfield’s first game as head coach was the Cotton Bowl in 2019. While the Tigers lost, Silverfield became the permanent head coach going into the 2020 season. It took a bit for Silverfield and Memphis to take off. The first three seasons had a record of 21-15, but the Tigers went 20-5 over the last two seasons. He’s won every bowl game he’s coached since becoming the permanent coach and the Tigers continue to trend up in the American Athletic Conference. Silverfield makes around $2.2 million this season.
Jon Sumrall – Head Coach, Tulane
Jon Sumrall is finishing up his first year as the Tulane head coach after two seasons at Troy. His current career record is 32-7 and he won two Sun Belt Conference championships while at Troy. His Green Wave team will be playing in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game next week. He has recently been connected to the North Carolina job, but that was before UCF opened up. Sumrall has experience with UCF during his time as a Tulane co-defensive coordinator in 2014. The game took place in Orlando, so he had seen the school before as a visiting coach. Since Tulane is playing on championship Saturday, Sumrall will largely be focused on the game. With the North Carolina rumor and likely others looking his way, there could be a bidding war for Sumrall.
Scott Frost – Senior Football Analyst, Los Angeles Rams
He’s on the list so we can say no. Frost might have found lightning in a bottle at UCF in 2017, but his complete failure in four-plus seasons at Nebraska and his not being in college football since should be enough evidence to keep him away.
We will see what direction UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir wants to go. Malzahn was one of his first hires when he became AD in 2021 and his job could hinge on how his next hire performs. Stay tuned for more.
