Report: UCF coach Gus Malzahn to be offensive coordinator at Florida State

On By Littum

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 29: UCF Knights head coach Gus Malzahn looks on before a game between the UCF Knights and the Utah Utes, Friday, November 29, 2024 at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Fl (Photo by Ricky Bowden/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

UCF lost to Utah on Friday night to end the 2024 season at 4-8 under coach Gus Malzahn. (Photo by Ricky Bowden/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Gus Malzahn takes another job in Florida.

According to ESPNUCF coach quits to become offensive coordinator at Florida State. UCF ended its season Friday night with a home loss to Utah. The loss dropped the Knights to 4-8 on the season.

“We would like to thank coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition to the Big 12 Conference,” the school said in a statement. “We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish him and his wife, Kristi, the best in their future endeavors.”

Florida State is 2-9 heading into its regular season finale against Florida on Saturday night. The Seminoles have been searching for an offensive coordinator for weeks after coach Mike Norvell fired both offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller following a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame.

FSU’s only wins this season are over Cal and Charleston Southern, and the Seminoles have scored more than 21 points just once this season. It came in the team’s 41-7 win over the FCS-level Pirates a week ago.

Malzahn, 60, is taking the path UCLA coach Chip Kelly did less than a year ago. Kelly resigned at UCLA to take the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season.

The former Auburn head coach recently completed his fourth season at UCF. The Knights won nine games in each of his first two seasons, but fell to 6-7 in 2023 before winning just four games this season. The drop in wins has coincided with UCF’s move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12.

Prior to UCF, Malzahn was the head coach at Auburn from 2013 to 2020. The Tigers lost the BCS title game to Florida State in his first season in 2013 and won 10 games just once over the next seven seasons. However, Auburn never had a losing season under Malzahn and was 6-4 in his final season.

Malzahn was Auburn’s offensive coordinator when the Tigers won the national title following the 2011 season. He left Auburn to coach at Arkansas State for one season, then replaced Gene Chizik after one season with the Red Wolves.