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Gus Malzahn, UCF announces hiring of Ted Roof as new defensive coordinator

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison•01/17/24•

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Syndication: The Oklahoman
Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof works with players as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) college football team holds spring practice outside of Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on March 21, 2023 in Norman, Okla. tramel -- jump

Head coach Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights are hiring Ted Roof to be the team’s defensive coordinator in 2024, according to a release by UCF.

Roof will serve as defensive coordinator alongside Addison Williams, who will act as co-defensive coordinator and associate head coach. 2023 was Williams’ first season as UCF’s defensive coordinator, having replaced Travis Williams.

At Auburn, Gus Malzahn and Ted Rood worked together, winning a national championship. At that time, Roof was Auburn’s defensive coordinator and linebacker coach while Malzahn was the offensive coordinator. So, there is a familiarity with this hire even if this is Roof’s first time acting as Malzahn’s coordinator.

“I’m looking forward to working with Ted again after winning a national championship together at Auburn,” Malzahn said in the release. “He’s a three-time Broyles Award nominee and has had the No. 1 ranked rush defense in the conference at three different schools.”

This is going to be Roof’s second stint as the defensive coordinator at UCF. He also held that position in 2011 under George O’Leary. That was immediately following his time with Auburn.

For the past two seasons, Ted Roof has been the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma, coaching under Brent Venables. This past season, in particular, the Sooners were known for their ability to force turnovers and get off the field on third down. Overall, the Sooners allowed 23.5 points per game in 2023, compared to the 25.8 points per game that UCF allowed.

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UCF struggled on defense, particularly against the run, in 2023. That was in Addison Williams’ first season as a defensive coordinator as the program moved into the Big 12 and had its depth tested.

By the time the season had come to an end, UCF was 83rd in the country in total defense, allowing 391 yards per game. The Knights were also 125th in rushing defense, allowing 194.31 yards per game on the ground on their way to a 6-7 season. Among schools new to the Big 12 in 2023, it was the best overall performance.

Prior to his time at Oklahoma, Ted Roof made defensive coordinator stops at 12 different schools at the Power Five, Group of Five, and FCS levels. That includes more than 30 years of experience coaching at the Power Five level.

On three different occasions, Ted Roof was a Broyles Award nominee as the nation’s top assistant coach. He also had a stint as the interim head coach of Duke.