5 Gus Malzahn replacements to restore UCF back to its former glory

Things got out of hand very quickly in Orlando this season. After a 3-0 start, the UCF Knights won one more game the rest of the way. In the aftermath of losing in Week 14 to Utah, former Knights head coach Gus Malzahn abruptly resigned to become the next offensive coordinator of the Florida State Seminoles. As you can see, the Gus Bus clearly had one foot out the door down in Orlando.

For a head coach who has had so much success previously, this might have been the most pitiful performance of any Malzahn-led team ... ever. Usually, he gets his team to go bowling. For whatever reason, every season under his watch got progressively worse for the Knights. They became the second Power Four team to be looking for a new head coach after Mack Brown was out over at UNC.

With Ryan Walters being out at Purdue after two dreadful seasons, that leaves us with three head-coaching vacancies in the Power Four. Others will soon follow. Now that we have finally gotten our heads around the idea that Malzahn actually up and left for Florida State, let's try our best to figure out who could be the right man to lead UCF going forward. Who can get them back to the glory days?

Let's start with a former Big Ten head coach who is overqualified to remain a defensive coordinator.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen

I may be in the extreme minority here, but I am not completely out on Tom Allen being a Power Four head coach again. He had some success at Indiana, but that has been muted in the extended wake of Curt Cignetti this season. Meanwhile, Allen has been doing a fantastic as Penn State's defensive coordinator this year. Clearly, James Franklin knows exactly what he is looking for in that huge role.

As far as why I think Allen would be a good fit at UCF, he did recruit Florida quite well when he was at IU. We know he is a strong defensive mind, but he has to pair himself with the right offensive coordinator. Could he be bringing with him the next Kalen DeBoer to wherever he ends up? This is a potential hire I would not sleep on if I was UCF. I have a feeling that Allen has one great run left in him.

Of course, we are only a year removed from him running Indiana into the ground with offensive futility.

4. South Florida Bulls head coach Alex Golesh

Leaving South Florida for instate rival UCF might be in bad taste in most instances, but Alex Golesh already has ties to the Knights program from having been on Josh Heupel's staff previously. South Florida is a good, but not great program in the Group of Five. They seem to have hit a wall when it comes to recruiting and developing offensive talent. I don't think he would have those issues at UCF.

To me, Golesh feels like he is a year away from really getting a Power Four job of note. What he is doing at South Florida in the wake of the absolutely unmitigated disaster that was his predecessor Jeff Scott cannot be taken lightly. Overall, I would say that Golesh would be a hire most people in Orlando could probably get behind. The only problem is he might be looking for his next job soon...

Hiring Golesh would be like getting more of the same from Josh Heupel, as he is his greatest disciple.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki

Even though I am not fully convinced he is ready to be a Power Four head coach yet, the three jobs that I think Andy Kotelnicki could work out well with have become available in North Carolina, UCF and Purdue. For that reason, I would venture to guess that the Penn State offensive coordinator will be able to land at least one of those gigs. He may have a chance to pick and choose, but maybe not...

Kotelnicki bet on himself this past offseason by leaving Lance Leipold behind in Kansas to finally step out of his shadow. Those in the know in the college football world know what he is all about. However, I wonder if he has the cachet to really take over at a place like UCF right away. I would say it is way more likely that he gets either the North Carolina or Purdue gig than he would the UCF one this winter.

It may serve Kotelnicki to wait one more year for other jobs to open up, but he may have to leave now.

2. Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders

Keep your eyes peeled on this one. With the Colorado Buffaloes not playing for the Big 12 Championship and out of the College Football Playoff picture because of it, it would not shock me in the slightest if Deion Sanders left Colorado for another job this offseason. It would be as close to a clean break as possible for him with all three of his sons, including Travis Hunter, going to the NFL.

To be totally honest, I think Sanders should wait for his alma mater of Florida State to open up in a year or so once Mike Norvell inevitably fails at Florida State with Gus Malzahn as his offensive play caller. Then again, Coach Prime does things on his own time. If UCF is willing to pay him a boatload, do not be surprised if the Fort Myers native returns to the Sunshine State to help turn UCF around.

If I were Sanders, I would be patient and wait for Florida State to open up, but UCF is rather enticing.

1. Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall

One of three things is going to happen here, all of which will grow Jon Sumrall's bank account. Either Tulane will give him a mega extension to keep him leading the Green Wave. He could also leave after one year to take over at UCF. If Marks Stoops gets fired at his alma mater of Kentucky, he might be the top candidate for that gig. Either way, it is so good to be Jon Sumrall heading into December.

This would not be a lateral move for Sumrall. For as good as Tulane is in the Group of Five, UCF has more resources than the Greenies do over in the Power Four. This may not be the easiest job to take over in the new Big 12, but Sumrall has won everywhere. Yes, he may have gone to well-run Group of Five programs in Tulane and Troy previously, but there is a lot to like about this head coach's upside.

Once again, Tulane is about to be on the precipice of losing a high-quality coach to a Big 12 position.