UCF's head coach Gus Malzahn looks at a referee during the Big 12 football game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at Jones AT&T Stadium. Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

FSU football’s Gus Malzahn called out by former UCF player

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 11:46 AM ET

The Florida State Seminoles went through a major coaching overhaul under head coach Mike Norvell, replacing both offensive and defensive coordinators alongside a handful of assistants. One of the more intriguing hires was former UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, who was brought on as offensive coordinator after four seasons with the Knights.

Malzahn's departure could be described as "abrupt", just one day after a 28-14 season-ending loss to Utah, and one player on his former roster, sophomore defensive back Jaylen Heyward. Heyward expressed his displeasure and called out the national championship head coach.

Heyward Claims There Was No Meeting with the Team

"If I'm being real, we had a meeting, it wasn't even like we had a meeting. "It was just like, next week came and he was gone," Heyward said on the Meet The Knights Podcast. "He didn't even have no meeting telling us he was going to leave or anything. He just got up and left. It kind of shows you where his mindset and head was at when he left. He showed that he really didn't care for us, how he said he was to the media."

While Malzahn will tell you himself that he gave up his head coaching duties to become an offensive coordinator due to the ever-changing landscape of NIL structure, recruiting deals, transfer portal, and all sorts of other things that a lot of people agree are wrong with college football, leaving a team abruptly isn't exactly a new concept.

"What I learned within the last year as well was, it is a business at the end of the day with NIL and everything," Heyward continued. "Coaches are going to up and leave. You want to find coaches that have your best interest at the end of the day. I'm glad that we got a new coaching staff that has our best interests for us."

In a game based on results and winning, to say that Malzahn doesn't have his players' interests in mind is conjecture at best. Scott Frost, their current coach, left UCF for Nebraska and was re-hired after Malzahn's departure.

Scott Frost, their current coach, left UCF for Nebraska and was re-hired after Malzahn's departure. So one other than the 2024 UCF roster, staff, and Malzahn will know what really happened behind closed doors but that is the game of college football.