Gus Malzahn reveals how joining the Big 12 has elevated UCF's brand, recruiting: 'It's a game changer'

In 2023, UCF will play its first season in the Big 12 conference. It’s an exciting time for the conference and as head coach Gus Malzahn explained at Big 12 media days, this move is a game changer for the program.

As Malzahn explained, this is a moment that has been a long time coming and is exciting for the program.

“It’s a huge moment, you know, thinking about all the players who helped us get here, all the coaches, all the boosters, it’s a huge moment for us,” Gus Malzahn said. “And [I’m] just real blessed to be the head coach here and looking forward to being a part of the Big 12.”

Even when Malzahn was first hired by UCF, following the 2020 season, he knew that the program was going places quickly. He didn’t necessarily know it would be the Big 12, but he expected that move to a Power Five conference.

“I felt pretty strong when Terry [Mohajir] hired me that we were going to be a part of a Power Five conference, just didn’t know it was going to be the Big 12. Of course, I was born here in Irving [Texas], so it’s real exciting for me to be a part of the Big 12. I think it’s a great fit for us. Right now, we’re the only team in Florida and it’s a great place to recruit, and it’s really changed the landscape for us recruiting. So, we’re in a really good spot right now.”

For Malzahn, this move is a game changer for the UCF program.

“It’s a game changer. We’re in Orlando, one of the best places in the country to live. The best brands in the world are there. There’s no NFL team. So, the sky’s the limit in terms of potential. We’re the biggest school or one of the biggest enrollments in the country,” Malzahn said.

“So, everything is set up, and they played great football before we got here. I mean, we can’t forget that. They won two out of three New Year’s Six bowl games the last nine years. So, we inherited a program that was already top notch and now and we’re set up to take that next step.”

Recently, Gus Malzahn made some headlines by suggesting that the Big 3 in Florida, should now be the Big 4 to include the Knights. That’s already been proven on the recruiting trail, where UCF is now competing for recruits with Florida, Florida State, and Miami.

“Well, that’s exactly who we compete against, the other three teams in our state for recruits. The last two years, back-to-back, we’ve had the best recruiting classes in the history of this school, and now I really feel like we’re fixing to blow the top off that. So, things are going very well but a lot of it has to do with this conference.”

UCF is already reaping the benefits of being in the Big 12 on the recruiting trail. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, UCF’s Class of 2024 is currently 33rd in the country and second in the Big 12.

“100%, it’s opened the door. When we first got there, we’d recruit the guys but we knew they were gonna go somewhere else, and we were going to try and get them on the back end, which we’ve already done quite a bit of that. But now, we’re really in the game with the top guys in the country, specifically in the state of Florida.”

UCF is the youngest Power Five team by more than three decades. The potential is there. Now, it’s on Gus Malzahn and his staff to unlock it.

Gus Malzahn on John Rhys Plumlee balancing multiple sports

UCF starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee is both a starting football and starting baseball player at UCF. That can create challenges as he looks to balance practicing and playing in games for both sports, even playing a baseball game and the spring game on the same day. Despite these challenges, Gus Malzahn thinks he’s doing a great job.

“He’s planning on playing baseball too and he was a part of the scrimmage. We had a plan, I can’t remember if it was four or five series and I think he’s going to play a double header right now. I don’t know if anyone’s ever done that. It’ll be interesting to see,” Malzahn said.

“He hasn’t missed any practices. He’s really done a solid job, not just offensively but leading and all that. The fact that he can go play high level baseball says a lot about him. It’s been impressive to watch.”