Gus Malzahn coaching timeline: Looking back at everywhere the UCF HC has coached

Gus Malzahn has come to UCF and made the football program exactly what the athletic program wanted it to be. UCF wanted its program to be the premiere place for players who could both play for an elite team and have an elite place to live.

Malzahn has made the recruiting program boom and the Knights a continued respectable brand. Since coming to UCF from Auburn, Malzahn has not had a losing regular season. After one season in the Big 12, Malzahn and the Knights were the only newcomers to become bowl-eligible and if a few plays had gone differently towards the end of the game, they could have had a lot more wins.

We have spent a lot of time looking forward to what UCF can be with Malzahn, but let's take a look at his past. How did Malzahn make it to UCF? Here is Malzahn's entire coaching journey that brought him to the Knights.

Playing career

Gus Malzahn played at two different colleges during his college career. He started his college career at Arkansas as a wide receiver, but after two seasons, Malzahn made the move to Henderson State until he graduated in 1989.

Early coaching career

Malzahn, unlike other college coaches, did not start his coaching career as a graduate assistant at a college. Malzahn actually started coaching high school football and did so for 15 years. Malzahn coached at three different high schools and started out as an offensive coordinator. He coached in Arkansas as a head coach for 14 years.

After 15 years, Malzahn decided to make the move to college and jumped all the way to the big leagues of the SEC. Malzahn made the jump to Arkansas as the offensive coordinator and the wide receivers coach. He spent only one season with the Razorbacks before making the move to his next program.

Now at Tulsa, Malzahn was named the co-offensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and quarterbacks coach. Malzahn spent two seasons at Tulsa before making the move to Auburn for his first stint with the Tigers as the assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach.

After his first stint at Auburn, Malzahn was brought to Arkansas State as the head coach but spent only one season with the Red Wolves.

Auburn head coaching career

Gus Malzahn is best known for his time at Auburn as the head coach for the Tigers. Malzahn took the head coaching job at Auburn in 2013 and was there until the program let him go in 2020.

At Auburn, Malzahn won one SEC Championship in his first season with the program in 2012 and two SEC West Division titles in 2013 and 2017. Malzahn also led the Tigers to the National Championship in 2014, but unfortunately fell in the big game.

After some rough season, Auburn chose to let Malzahn go, which was to the benefit of UCF, who hired the experienced head coach in 2021 after Josh Heupel left for Tennessee.