Why UCF Football is Slowly Becoming One of the Top Programs in Florida
When many people think of college football in the state of Florida, three schools instantly come to mind: Florida State, Florida, and Miami. While the Gators and Hurricanes are currently shadows of their former selves, each of those programs were once dynasties that ruled the sport. The three are also still recruiting hot beds that consistently produce NFL talent.
However, there is one program in the Sunshine State that is not your "traditional" blue-blood program that has seen a lot of success in recent times, and that is UCF football.
The future of UCF football is brighter than some people realize. As many college football fans remember, their national relevance started back in 2017 when the Knights capped off a perfect season, highlighted by a 34-27 win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Outraged after being snubbed a College Football Playoff berth, the UCF faithful proceeded to self-proclaim themselves as “national champions.”
That perfect 2017 campaign left a trail of success as UCF football has consistently posted winning seasons and been bowl-eligible every single year ever since. The Knights are now in the midst of a new head coaching era under Gus Malzahn, who knows a thing or two about winning and recruiting in the Deep South.
UCF football made some noise in the offseason recruiting cycle behind the second-best 2024 high school recruiting class in the Big 12 and a transfer portal class that ranked in the top 30 in the nation, according to 247 Sports.
While Malzahn is traditionally known as a successful recruiter, it’s the brand of the university itself that is such an attractive destination. UCF is one of the largest public schools in the entire country; one that has a massive enrollment and a large number of living alumni (over 360,000 according to the school website). With NIL being one of the cornerstones of the sport today, booster money and a beautiful campus environment should be big advantages for the Knights in terms of talent acquisition.
UCF is also now a member of a Power Five, or should I say “Power Four,” conference. While the SEC and Big Ten are currently the two juggernaut conferences of the sport, the Big 12 is still a huge boost for UCF in terms of national recognition. The parity within the conference is greater than it has ever been due to the departures of Oklahoma and Texas, plus UCF was the only newcomer team to reach a bowl game in 2023, as well. And along with the publicity, being in the Big 12 gives the Knights a much clearer path to the 12-team playoff opposed to their days as a Group of Five program in the AAC.
Excluding Florida State, which has posted back-to-back 10+ win seasons and was on the cusp of being a playoff team this past year, UCF football has the best win percentage (60%) out of any program in the state of Florida, including Miami (56%) and Florida (50%), since the start of this decade.
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With UCF now being at a big boy table conference, don’t underestimate anything this team and program can do. The Knights have consistently been a winning program and are continuing to establish a better overall football culture in Orlando. While a 2024 playoff bid and Big 12 title run will take something special, the future of UCF football is bright and it would be foolish to write them off as a top three program in the state of Florida right now.