UCF Football: Gus Malzahn and the Knights are a perfect match

UCF football has offered Gus Malzahn its head coaching job and here’s why the former Auburn head coach should jump at the chance. 

When UCF football lost its head coach to Tennessee, it created an opening at one of the best up-and-coming college football programs in the country.

Josh Heupel and Scott Frost both found success coaching UCF football in Orlando and turned that success into Power-5 gigs at Tennessee and Nebraska.

Truly, of all the Group of Five jobs out there, UCF’s could be the best and that’s why the Knights are making a serious run at former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, something I said they should do right after Heupel left for the Vols.

Now, it’s being reported the UCF has offered Malzahn its head-coaching job according to a report from 247 sports and if that’s true, it’s a match made in heaven.

Why Malzahn and UCF football are so well-suited for each other

The bottom line is that despite getting the boot at Auburn, Malzahn is a pretty successful college football head coach. In nine seasons at Arkansas State and Auburn, Gus is 77-38. He’s won 67 percent of all his games and 66 percent of them while he was at Auburn.

The guy won the SEC West twice and defeated Nick Saban more than once, which isn’t something many other head coaches can say. He’s also won the SEC title and reached the national title game.

Not counting 2020, since there were only 10 games for Malzahn’s Auburn team, his squads have won at least eight games in six of his seven seasons and never once in his head-coaching career did he post a losing record.

On top of being a proven winner, Malzahn is known as an offensive guru. He was instrumental in Auburn’s national title with Cam Newton at quarterback and he will certainly fit the mold of an offensive-minded head coach that UCF football has thrived under.

Dillon Gabriel would give Malzahn a talented quarterback to work with right away and there’s little doubt that the former Auburn head coach would keep the Knights among college football’s best on the offensive side of the ball.

Long term, UCF has a lot to offer recruits and with the chance to recruit the state of Florida and the South, it would be a great opportunity for Malzahn.

He could help the Knights reach their full potential as a program and also use it as a springboard to get him back into a big-time coaching job down the road.

Honestly, it’s the perfect marriage and it makes too much sense not to happen.