Coach is Suing His Former Big 12 School

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Jan 25, 2025 7:59 AM ET

The changeover of a coaching regime can be pretty chaotic. For UCF, that seemed to be the opposite situation when head coach Gus Malzahn resigned amidst plenty of hotseat rumors, which put the Knights in a favorable position. However, yesterday one of Malzahn’s coaches took a different approach by filing a lawsuit against his former employer:

Former @UCF_Football DC Ted Roof filed lawsuit against UCF Athletic Association Inc. today in Orange County, claiming breach of contract. At issue: UCF adjusted Roof’s termination compensation after HC Gus Malzahn resigned. https://t.co/97rcxdbczh pic.twitter.com/nDM9WvxQYE
— Jamie Seh (@jamieseh) January 25, 2025

2024 was Ted Roof’s first season as defensive coordinator at UCF. And he didn’t even last a season as he was fired after the Knights’ eighth game in late October. Roof is alleging that when Malzahn resigned, UCF changed his original contract obligations.

Whatever the outcome is with the lawsuit, UCF should still be seen as the winner. The Knights were saved millions of dollars when Malzahn resigned instead of getting fired a week or two later. He had three years left on a contract that would have paid him about $5.5 million annually.

UCF has quickly moved on by hiring Scott Frost and should try to do the same by settling this lawsuit.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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