Gus Malzahn takes another job in Florida.
According to ESPNUCF coach resigns to become offensive coordinator at Florida State. UCF ended its season with a home loss to Utah on Friday night. The loss dropped the Knights to 4-8 on the season.
Florida State is 2-9 heading into the regular season finale against Florida on Saturday night. The Seminoles have been searching for an offensive coordinator for several 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. The team beat the FCS-level Pirates 41-7 a week ago.
Malzahn, 60, is following the path taken by UCLA coach Chip Kelly less than a year ago. Kelly decommitted from UCLA to take the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State before the 2024 season.
The former Auburn coach recently completed his fourth season at UCF. The Knights won nine games in each of their first two seasons, but fell to 6-7 in 2023 and won just four games this season. The drop in wins 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 just 10 games over the next seven seasons. However, Auburn never lost under Malzahn and went 6-4 in his final season.
Malzahn was Auburn’s offensive coordinator when the Tigers won the national title after the 2011 season. He left Auburn for a season to coach at Arkansas State before replacing Gene Chizik after one season with the Red Wolves.