UCF, Gus Malzahn agree to contract extension through 2027, salary bump
ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF football head coach Gus Malzahn's contract has been extended through the 2027 season, the university confirmed to FOX 35 News on Thursday.
The former Auburn coach agreed to the terms this summer and his salary was raised to $4 million annually on July 1. The new deal increases that to $5.5 million a year in 2026 and 2027.
ESPN's Pete Thamel was first to report the news.
News of Malzahn's contract extension comes after USA TODAY published its annual database of college football head coach salaries earlier this week. Malzahn was listed as the lowest paid head coach in the Big 12 Conference. It's important to note that not all schools released their compensation data.
As of Dec. 1, 2023, Malzahn's buyout was listed at nearly $3.6 million. It remains unclear if that changed under his new deal.
The deal also comes after a two-loss win streak to kick off Big 12 play in the Knights' inaugural season in the conference. The Knights fell to Kansas State 44-31 on Sept. 23 and were most recently defeated by visiting Baylor 36-35.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Gus Malzahn of the UCF Knights looks on prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at FBC Mortgage Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Knights led 28-7 at the half.
"I’m really disappointed for our fan base,"Malzahn said after Saturday's first Big 12 home game at UCF. "This was a big moment, and we didn’t seize the moment. We talked about that, the whole time leading up to this game. We let one get away and that’s the way that locker room feels."
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In both games, quarterback Timmy McClain led UCF, who stepped in after John Rhys Plumlee suffered an injury against Villanova last month. Malzahn said he expects the Ole Miss transfer to return before the end of the season.
Another significant development for UCF Athletics came down this week after Orange County agreed to allocate $90 million for a tower addition to FBC Mortgage Stadium. This will be paid for by "excess revenues" from the Tourist Development Tax over 10 years.
UCF has yet to publicly comment on Malzahn's contract extension.
On Saturday, UCF (3-2) travels to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the Kansas Jayhawks (4-1) at 4 p.m. on FOX 35 at 4 p.m. ET.