ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF coach Gus Malzahn is resigning after four seasons with the school. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, which will see Malzahn to leave to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Knights ended a disappointing 4-8 season in which they lost eight of their last nine games, the longest losing streak since 2015. Malzahn, 59, was in the fourth year of a contract through 2028. His buyout, it is reported, would have been $13.75 million. He finished 27-25 at UCF but lost 16 of his last 22 games and was a dismal 4-14 in two seasons in the Big 12. After back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2021-22, the Knights went 6-7 in 2023 and 4-8 in 2024. This season started with high expectations as Malzahn made sweeping changes to the program. He retooled the strength and conditioning department and hired Ted Roof and Tim Harris Jr. as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. He also added nearly 50 new players to the roster, leaning heavily on the transfer market. UCF started by winning its first three games against New Hampshire, Sam Houston and a thrilling comeback at TCU, but offensive struggles saw the Knights tumble through a TBD-game losing streak to finish the season. Terry Mohajir hired Malzahn on Feb. 15, 2021, six days after he was hired to replace Danny White. The move came eight weeks after Malzahn had been fired at Auburn after eight seasons of coaching the Tigers. The two briefly worked together at Arkansas State in 2012 before Malzahn left for the Auburn job. “When he [Mohajir] offered the job, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ There wasn’t thinking about or talking about ...,” Malzahn said during his introductory press conference. “This will be one of the best programs in college football in a short time. This is a job that I plan on being here and building it.” UCF opened the 2021 season with non-conference wins over Boise State and Bethune-Cookman before traveling to Louisville on Sept. 17, where quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone in the final minute of a 42-35 loss. Backup Mikey Keene would finish out the season as Gabriel announced his intention to transfer. The Knights would finish the season on the plus side by accepting a bid to join the Big 12 Conference in September and then by defeating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Malzahn struck transfer portal gold in the offseason when he signed former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee, a two-sport star with the Rebels, helped guide UCF to the American Athletic Conference Championship in its final season. However, Plumlee’s injury forced the Knights to go with Keene and freshman Thomas Castellanos. The team finished with losses to Tulane in the conference championship and Duke in the Military Bowl. Plumlee would return in 2023 as UCF transitioned to the Big 12 but would go down with a knee injury in the final minute of the Knights’ 18-16 win at Boise State on Sept. 9. He would miss the next four games as backup Timmy McClain took over the team. Even on his return, Plumlee couldn’t help UCF, on a five-game losing streak to open conference play. The Knights got their first Big 12 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and upset No. 15 Oklahoma State the following week, but the team still needed a win over Houston in the regular-season finale to secure a bowl bid for the eighth straight season. From the moment Malzahn stepped on campus, he prioritized recruiting, particularly in Central Florida. “We’re going to recruit like our hair’s on fire,” Malzahn said at the time. “We’re going to go after the best players in America and we’re not backing down to anybody.” From 2007 to 2020, UCF signed 10 four-star high school and junior college prospects. Eight four-star prospects were in the three recruiting classes signed under Malzahn. The 2024 recruiting class earned a composite ranking of 39 from 247Sports, the highest-ranked class in school history. The 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 41 and has commitments from three four-star prospects. Malzahn has always leaned on the transfer market, signing 60 players over the past three seasons. Some have paid huge dividends, such as Javon Baker, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, Tylan Grable, Bula Schmidt, Amari Kight, Marcellus Marshall, Trent Whittemore, Gage King, Ethan Barr, Deshawn Pace and Plumlee. Others haven’t been as successful, such as quarterback KJ Jefferson, who started the first five games of this season before being benched for poor performance. Jefferson’s struggles forced the Knights to play musical chairs at quarterback, with true freshman EJ Colson, redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown and redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk all seeing action at one point or another this season. This season’s struggles led to several players utilizing the NCAA’s redshirt rule after four games, including starting slot receiver Xavier Townsend and kicker Colton Boomer, who have also entered the transfer portal. Defensive end Kaven Call posted a letter to Malzahn on Twitter in which he accused the UCF coaching staff of recently kicking him off the team when he requested to be redshirted. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!None
A GOVERNMENT row over assisted dying heated up yesterday as a minister was accused of “imposing” her religious beliefs on others. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood , who is Muslim, was slammed by one of her predecessors ahead of Friday’s vote on the controversial topic , which has split the Cabinet. Ms Mahmood wrote to her Birmingham Ladywood constituents warning the Bill would be a “slippery slope towards death on demand”. But Labour grandee Lord Falconer told Sky News: “I think she’s motivated — and I respect this — by her religious beliefs. “They shouldn’t be imposed on everybody else.” The very public Labour split emerged after Cabinet ministers were warned by Whitehall chiefs to keep to a minimum talk of their views on the issue. READ MORE ON ASSISTED DYING PM Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch have given MPs free rein to back or oppose a Private Members’ Bill introduced by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater. The Cabinet is divided around 10-5 in favour of change. Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy PM Angela Rayner are opposed. In favour are Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Most read in The Sun Meanwhile, a poll by think-tank More In Common has found that two-thirds of voters support the concept. Previously, Leadbeater raised concerns when she said politicians should “butt out” of the debate. Keir Starmer also slapped down his Health Secretary for wading into the assisted dying debate.Gold miner Metals Exploration closes in on £90m deal to buy rival Condor
EVERTON star Ashley Young may face his 18-year-old son Tyler in the FA Cup. The Toffees drew Peterborough United in the third round and will face off on the weekend of January 11 at Goodison Park. That means ex- Manchester United ace Ashley, 39, could lock horns against his child, who is currently part of the League One outfit's Under-21 side. Everton 's versatile full-back is very excited about that prospect as he took to social media and stated a great family dream could soon come true. Ashley tweeted: "WOW.......... Dreams Might Come True.#FaCup #GoosebumpsMoment #YoungVsYoung." Fans are also looking forward to that potential clash between father and son. Read More on Football One supporter tweeted: "Hoping you play against him mate! Would be a dream for you! Wish you the best!" Another commented: "The Young Derby." A third wrote: "Football is really special. What a scene that'd be!" This fan said: "That’s brilliant. Hope it happens for you both." Most read in FA Cup And that one issued the following hashtag: "#YoungvsOld." Tyler joined Peterborough from Queens Park Rangers' Under-18s last summer. The midfielder counts only one senior appearance with the Posh, which took place in the EFL Trophy.Sunday's showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and visiting Los Angeles Clippers is not going to materialize in the way Paul George had hoped. After five seasons with the Clippers, George signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Sixers in the offseason. However, the team has won only three times in its first 15 games with stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George all missing significant time due to injuries. Embiid continues to nurse a knee injury and will miss this matchup, while George (hyperextended knee) will not be available to face his former team. Meanwhile, the Clippers have been up-and-down this season while playing the entire campaign without two-way standout Kawhi Leonard (knee). Los Angeles opened the season 2-1 before losing three in a row. The team then won four straight, then lost three consecutive games and now has won four straight entering Sunday's opener of a four-game road trip. The Clippers announced over the weekend that Leonard would miss the entire trip, which puts more pressure on former Sixers guard James Harden, who is averaging 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and a team-high 8.8 assists. Norman Powell is the Clippers' leading scorer at 23.3 points per game. He will miss his third consecutive game with a hamstring issue. The Clippers won twice at home without Powell, including Friday's 104-88 triumph over the Sacramento Kings. Harden had 22 points to lead the way in that contest, while Ivica Zubac notched 10 points and 15 rebounds. "All games are meaningful for us," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the win in NBA Cup play. "Playing for the Cup and having a chance to go to Vegas to play for the big money is always intriguing as well. But we got to play the same way every night, whether it's the Cup, whatever we are doing, being short-handed." After committing 22 turnovers in the victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the Clippers committed just 12 turnovers against the Kings. "We've just got to take care of the basketball," Lue said. That will be particularly important Sunday against a Philadelphia squad that forced 19 turnovers in Friday's 113-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. On the offensive end, rookie Jared McCain and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey combined for 56 points as the Sixers snapped a five-game slide. "I ain't gonna lie, it felt good to win," Maxey said after shooting 11-of-17 for 26 points. "I'm not going to sit here and talk about making shots. We played so hard, offensively and defensively, (and) played together. Guys stuck together." McCain was caught on camera in the fourth quarter saying, "I'm Rookie of the Year." The guard finished with 30 points -- his seventh straight game with at least 20 points. "It's one of my goals for the season, obviously," McCain said, "but it was just that competitiveness coming out of me. I respect every other rookie in this league, but obviously I'm a believer in myself and so, yeah, some words definitely came out at that point." The teams met Nov. 6 in Los Angeles, where the Clippers posted a comfortable 110-98 victory behind 26 points from Powell. --Field Level Media
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