With UCF stuck in a five-game losing streak, coach Gus Malzahn fired his defensive coordinator on Monday and announced that he will no longer call the offensive plays for the Knights.
Ted Roof, who was in his first year with the program, was let go two days after a 37-24 loss to then-No. 11 BYU, which dropped UCF’s record to 3-5 and 1-4 in the Big 12. Malzahn has replaced him with Addison Williams, who was the defensive coordinator last year when the Knights finished 6-7 in their first season in the new conference.
First-year offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. will now take over the play-calling duties that Malzahn had previously given to Darin Hinshaw in 2023. This change was made so Malzahn could have more time to manage all parts of the program as the Knights transitioned from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12.
“Both of these decisions are my decisions,” Malzahn said. “What’s best for our team. As a leader, as a head coach, that’s what you’ve got to be thinking. That’s what I did. Looking forward to going through this process the last four games with that.”
Malzahn hired Roof before this season to help improve a struggling defense. He’s also hoping that by giving up the offensive play-calling to Harris, it will boost the offense as well.
“I’m a football coach first, but as a leader and as a head coach, you’ve got to do what’s best for your team,” Malzahn said. “This is what’s best for our team. This is what’s best for me as a head coach.”
Roof came to UCF from Oklahoma, promising a more aggressive style of play aimed at improving the pass rush and putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
However, the Knights have faced challenges, ranking 115th in the nation with only 11 sacks over eight games. They are 12th in the 16-team Big 12 and 79th nationally in total defense, allowing 379.1 yards per game.
“This has been a grind on our guys,” Roof said during his weekly press conference on Sunday. “The part of it when they invest so much time and energy and effort into this and don’t get the results they want can be disappointing.
But the leadership is strong. At the same time, I think they can understand how close we are to breaking through.”
UCF’s usually fast-paced offense, which has had three different starting quarterbacks, has also had trouble scoring points.
The Knights are 20th in the nation for total offense at 454.8 yards per game. They rank 51st in scoring offense, with 30.4 points per game. In Big 12 games, UCF averages 434.4 yards per game but only 25.6 points per game.
