Gus Malzahn’s Auburn football transfer portal steals set up UCF for success

Former Auburn football HC Gus Malzahn saw his greatest coaching success on the Plains, and he’s trying to maintain many elements of his Tigers tenure to run a successful program down in Orlando.

Malzahn has taken to the transfer portal the past two offseasons, his first as the head coach of the UCF Knights, in pursuit of Power Five talent that could raise the ceiling of the Group of Five powerhouse from the AAC.

That has led him to many former Tigers, including Lee Hunter and Kobe Hudson in January, and Marco Domio, Mark-Antony Richards, and Joey Gatewood during his first transfer portal go-round in 2020.

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini recently joined ‘McElroy and Cubelic In the Morning’ and spoke to Malzahn’s recruiting strategy, one that still features his work from his days as Auburn football HC:

"“Gus Malzahn has pulled from a lot of SEC players, to come to Orlando, including players from Auburn that he used to coach at the time…”"

Former Auburn football HC Gus Malzahn is in a better spot with UCF

While UCF itself doesn’t (and will likely never) have the history Auburn does, it’s undeniable that Gus Malzahn is in a better place in Central Florida than he was in East Central Alabama.

Malzahn was crucified for winning eight games in the SEC West while heading the Tigers, but that same record with UCF is a success this past season. When it’s all said and done, Malzahn has a chance to surpass Scott Frost as the most legendary Knights coach on the gridiron. That may not take long at Malzahn’s current recruiting rate and the school’s imminent Big 12 jump in 2023.