Gus Malzahn outlines plans for UCF to make move to Big 12 Conference, recruiting impact

Gus Malzahn can’t wait for UCF to join the Big 12. The football coach for the Knights believes the AAC has a lot to offer, and wants to show the college football world its teams can compete on a Power 5 level.

With UCF, Cincinnati, Houston set to join the Big 12 — alongside BYU — in 2023, they will finally get their chance. Malzahn joined the Paul Finebaum Show this past week, where he discussed how he believes the new additions will fit in with the rest of the league.

“As of right now, it looks like this will be the last year,” the coach said. “You’re absolutely right that Cincinnati had a great team. You’re talking about Houston, SMU, Memphis — there’s some really good teams in this league. It looks like we’ll be going to the Big 12 in 2023. We’re really looking forward to that. That’s a big step. It’s really helped us in the recruiting world, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Cincinnati became the first Group of 5 school to make the College Football Playoff this season after finishing with an unblemished 13-0 record. Although the Bearcats lost to Alabama in the semifinals, it was still considered a big victory for small schools. With the Bearcats and UCF set to make the jump to Power 5, it also gives hope that the Big 12 can still remain a competitive league after the exits of Oklahoma and Texas, which are set to join the SEC by 2025.

Gus Malzahn told Finebaum that his team’s impending move to the Big 12 has already started to have a positive impact on recruiting efforts. UCF signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the AAC for 2022, as well as the 47th overall class nationally according to On3’s Team Rankings.

Malzahn said the promise of playing in a Power 5 league has opened doors for players that the Knights previously had little shot at landing.

“There’s no doubt (it means more to recruits),” he said. “The first year, we went after the top players in the country in the state and we’d hear, ‘Hey, coach. Y’all are non-Power 5.’ Whether we liked it or not, that’s real for recruits. Since the announcement has been made that we’re going to the Big 12, it’s really opened the door to the top players in the country. We really recruited very well last year and I think we have a chance to really have a great class this year.”

UCF has had more than its fair share of success over the past few seasons, and even finished undefeated in 2017. The Knights did not make the College Football Playoff that year, prompting a discussion about how often and when to include Group of 5 schools in the postseason. Soon enough, however, they will no longer have to be included in that conversation, as they will face plenty of worthy opponents annually in the Big 12.

It’s a big change for college football, but certainly one that Malzahn and the rest of the schools set to join can get excited about.