Gus Malzahn Explains One Big Benefit of Leaving UCF for Florida State

After four seasons leading the UCF Knights, Gus Malzahn stepped down as head coach this offseason and left for Tallahassee to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State.

The move marks a significant shift for Malzahn, who has served as a head coach for the past 12 seasons at UCF, Auburn, and Arkansas State. But after a rough two-year stretch in Orlando, the 59-year-old is returning to the offensive coordinator spot, a position he last served with Auburn from 2009-11.

UCF finished below .500 in each of the past two seasons, going 6-7 in 2023 before struggling with a 4-8 record in 2024, which is the program’s worst mark since 2015. With the Knights struggling to find consistency in their early Big 12 transition, the timing aligned for Malzahn to make a change.

“It’s like an almost completely different job description from being a head coach. So it’s been good from the relationship side, of getting to know the players relationship-wise, and just worrying about one side of the ball,” Malzahn told Warchant TV.

Despite recent setbacks, Malzahn has strung together a very successful career as head coach. He compiled a 105-62 overall record with 10 bowl game appearances.

Now, the veteran play-caller gets a chance to reset and refocus in a high-level ACC environment, where expectations for offensive success are sky-high.

Florida State looks to bounce back after one of its worst seasons in program history last season, finishing 2-10. Malzahn takes over an offense that ranked last in the ACC last season in yards per game at 270.3.