Talking Gus Malzahn to UCF and FCS Football: A Blitz Podcast

After being fired by Auburn, Gus Malzahn quickly bounced back by landing the UCF football gig. Did he actually upgrade his position?

Gus Malzahn has landed on his feet after being unceremoniously let go by Auburn after a 6-4 record in 2020 by catching on with UCF. The Knights lost Josh Heupel to Tennessee, but may have upgraded by bringing Malzahn to Orlando.

The former Auburn coach won a pair of SEC West titles (the only coach other than Saban to do in the last decade) and led the Tigers to the National Championship game following the 2013 season, where they lost a heart-breaker to Florida State.

In the first segment on this week’s Saturday Blitz Podcast, we discuss the ins and outs of UCF hiring Malzahn. Did the Knights upgrade their coaching situation after losing Heupel to Knoxville? Did Malzahn actually wind up in a better situation after being fired by Auburn? Do the Knights now have a better coach than both Auburn and Tennessee?

We tackle all the angles on Malzahn’s hiring in Orlando in what is likely the final spin on the 2021 coaching carousel — at least for head coaches.

In the second segment this week, we discuss the beginning of the FCS spring football season. The season kicked off with McNeese State topping Tarleton in overtime last weekend with a full slate of games scheduled for this coming weekend.

With a limited platform thanks to basketball season, is it even worth it for FCS programs to play this limited spring season? Would they have been better off playing in the fall or just cancelling their seasons all together with limited options for the typical “paycheck” games against FBS opponents?

We dive head-first into every angle imaginable regarding the FCS spring season and ponder a few existential questions in relation to it. As strange as it feels now, 10 months ago we would have given a kidney for the prospect of spring football.

The Saturday Blitz Podcast goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.