Underdog Dynasty - UCF Knights Head Coach George O'Leary ResignsAn unofficial The American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Independent football bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52546/ud_favicon.png2015-11-07T07:00:02-05:00http://www.underdogdynasty.com/rss/stream/93763172015-11-07T07:00:02-05:002015-11-07T07:00:02-05:00I Learned To Love Central Florida Football Again
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<p>Central Florida took away something from me. I hated everything about them for so long simply because of that. I'm finally over it. </p> <p>Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Recovering Central Florida Football Hater.</p>
<p>There used to be a time that some guys with a mascot that freaked me out, along with a grumpy old man for a coach, came to my hometown then preceded to steal my soul. Today, I am finally finding a way to forgive and forget.</p>
<p>I hated George O'Leary for the longest time. To me, he was like a Grinch, who stole my Christmas, he was Alex Rodriguez, or any other villain you can begin to think about.</p>
<p>Louisville wasn't going to the National Championship that year; unless, you know, absolute carnage happened at the end of the season - which could never happen in this predictable sport of College Football.</p>
<p>None of that mattered, however. They were going undefeated for the first time in school history if they beat Central Florida. I knew that no other team remaining on the schedule would be able to beat them.That was enough to know this game had the potential to do irreparable damage to my heart.</p>
<p>The (Golden?) Knights were a team with a running back named ‘Storm' (definitely badass) and a quarterback named <span>Blake Bortles</span>. I had my doubts. These we're going to be the guys to come into Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium and steal my soul?</p>
<p>No, not a chance, Louisville had freaking Theodore Bridgewater, da god himself. I wrote em' off.</p>
<p>And then they freaking did it.</p>
<p>They came to Louisville, swords in hand, and stabbed me in the heart in the one year of my personal Purgatory in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american">American</a> Athletic Conference.</p>
<p>Louisville dominated most of the game. They held a 28-7 lead, they were blocking punts, <span>Teddy Bridgewater</span> was finding star wideout Devante Parker time after time, and the defense was making Bortles look hapless. Everything was going according to plan. Everything was beautiful until it wasn't.</p>
<p>At some point late in the third quarter, Louisville forgot to football. UCF scored three touchdowns in just over five minutes, and the two teams would go to the fourth quarter all square. The fourth quarter seemed like a whirlwind of things I wish I could forget; it ended with Blake Bortles hitting Jeff Godfrey for a two-yard pass that gave the Golden Knights the final lead of the game.</p>
<p>At the time I wrote: "Louisville went from the BCS Bowl to the Russell Athletic Bowl in 23 seconds because it lost its head for five minutes." I wrote about everything that Charlie Strong had been building for the final year of Teddy Bridgewater, about the perfect storm that had been created; it suddenly had become meaningless. That wasn't exactly accurate, I mean Louisville did win a BCS Bowl the year before, but that just helped magnify the pain. You knew the potential. You knew what could have been.</p>
<p>Now, I'm over for it. The grudge against Central Florida has finally left the soul of Chris Hatfield.</p>
<p>The irony in all of this was simple: What I resented most about Central Florida was the fact that their notoriety was coming about just like Louisville's had several years ago. They played whoever would play them, wherever they would play them, and they we're taking advantage of every opportunity that was given to them. That's what Louisville did. That's exactly how Louisville was able to leverage position that put them in the ACC. That's exactly how they went from playing in a stadium that people used to light fires in, to going to two BCS Bowl games in a six-year span.</p>
<p>Unlike Louisville, something went majorly wrong with Central Florida. Maybe that's what allowed me, the cynic, to finally get over my grudge. After beating Baylor in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/fiesta-bowl">Fiesta Bowl</a>, the Knights have slowly tailed off. They went 9-4 the season following, certainly an excellent campaign, but have been terrible this season. Still without a win in nine games.</p>
<p>Maybe it was the 15-14 heart-breaker against Florida International; maybe it was the 40-13 drumming to Connecticut at home, I'm not exactly sure. At some point, I deemed that Central Florida football fans had been through enough damage, I could finally begin the process of forgiving. But I needed something else. A spark of sorts.</p>
<p>Then it happened.</p>
<p>George O'Leary was gone.</p>
<p>I have respect for George O'Leary for a few things. I have lost some of that respect for a few other things. Apparently he decided to resign, at least that's what I'm told. I can only think he did it because he wanted to give me a second chance with Central Florida football, an opportunity to love again.</p>
<p>Here's to watching the Knights fight for their first win of the season in their final three games.</p>
<p>If they are unable to win any, here's to them being entertaining. I think we have a good chance of seeing one of their players tackle it's own like their Florida brethren (never forget). At the very least, we can hopefully see some football players forgetting to football at critical junctions of the game. That would be fun.</p>
<p>The knife has been removed, the wound sealed, everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. Go Knights.</p>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/11/7/9659278/central-florida-football-heartbreakerChris Hatfield2015-10-28T19:00:02-04:002015-10-28T19:00:02-04:00Narrowing Down UCF's Potential Coaches. Fast
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<p>A lot of names get thrown around when there's a high-profile opening. These probably shouldn't. </p> <p>When George O'Leary called it a career on Sunday, he left a void at a coaching job much bigger than some realize. UCF lies in a recruiting hotbed, the stadium is nice, the weather is great, Orlando's the kind of place coaches wouldn't mind bringing their families, the school has cash and could even wind up in a power conference one of these days.</p>
<p>Lest we forget, the Knights claimed a Fiesta Bowl win two years ago and shared the AAC crown just last season. O'Leary stayed on 11 years, never apt to move up owing to his age and status as damaged goods from the Notre Dame resume scandal. We'll see just how attractive this job is soon enough.</p>
<p>That said, lots of names get thrown out for any coaching job, mostly by columnists trying to fill out "Top XX" lists (not that I can relate). Today, we'll help you whittle those lists down a bit.</p>
<p>If I'm Central Florida's athletic director, these seven don't get far.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">when you slide into the Dms and get rejected... <a href="http://t.co/aItrhj1mIp">pic.twitter.com/aItrhj1mIp</a></p>
— Allik (@allikanchondo14) <a href="https://twitter.com/allikanchondo14/status/448987521624440833">March 27, 2014</a>
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<p><i><b>DISCLAIMER:</b> No, these aren't literally the seven worst candidates. We're not scouring the globe for a schizophrenic, a hardened criminal or Hal Mumme. All of these dudes know football better than you or I, they just don't fit the high profile and $1 million-plus salary for top dog at UCF. And yes, all have been mentioned for the gig in some corner of Internet land.</i></p>
<p><b>Will Muschamp</b></p>
<p>Muschamp was barely done at Florida before his name re-entered the rumor mill. He got mentions for the then-open Houston job and, even weirder, for a defensive coordinator/head coach in waiting gig at South Carolina. In that second scenario he'd have gone barely half a season before becoming an SEC head coach again.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=will+muschamp+meme&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIjaaAhbfjyAIVgiQmCh0n1Q7N&biw=1377&bih=1458&dpr=0.9">A quick Google image search</a> tells you everything about his time in Gainesville. Is there any reason to think he'd do better in Orlando? Unless uncontrollable sideline rage can win football games, the answer is no.</p>
<p><b>Greg Schiano</b></p>
<p>Fans who missed driving all the way to Tampa to watch a losing team could do it much closer with Schiano at the helm. Sure, he engineered a turnaround at historic doormat Rutgers, but even that took half a decade. Schiano went 3-24 his first four seasons in Piscataway. If that happens here, UCF will miss out on five round of conference realignment and end up champions of the Atlantic 10.</p>
<p>Schiano's previous experience is mostly in the NFL and/or in the northeast, with an 18-month stint as Miami defensive coordinator his only local college job.</p>
<p>Even his own Wikipedia page <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Schiano">hates on Schiano:</a></p>
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<p>Schiano's mere 68-67 record at Rutgers received less scrutiny at the time, as high-profile, upset victories had enhanced media/popular perceptions of Schiano's effectiveness.</p>
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<p>Schiano's also getting love from Miami fans. UCF needs somebody excited about them, not somebody wishing they were another couple hours south.</p>
<p><b>Al Golden</b></p>
<p>Just kidding</p>
<p><b>Butch Davis</b></p>
<p>This is a tricky one. Davis built up a solid Miami program when it was truly "The U" and had North Carolina firing on all cylinders just a few years back. There are convenient parallels with O'Leary: Older coach, damaged goods, lots of wins.</p>
<p>Yea, he's angling for the Miami job, but there's only one of those and UCF could be a nice Plan B.</p>
<p>If anything, Davis would turn UCF into a bad parody of the Miami program, riding coattails of past success with scandal an ever-present dark backdrop. The dude's shadier than a circus tent in the desert. He reportedly left Miami the first time just days after telling a recruit he'd be there "until I retire."</p>
<p>Here's <a href="http://espn.go.com/columns/kreidler_mark/1051251.html">one hot (if old) taek on Butch:</a></p>
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<p>Butch Davis lied like a Watergate co-conspirator. This guy shouldn't be able to turn a corner in a hallway; his nose ought to be getting places 10 minutes ahead of him.</p>
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<p>Davis later slithered back to the college game following an unsuccessful NFL stint, and left again in the wake of an academic scandal at UNC. Which of those are we looking for at Central Florida?</p>
<p><b>Lane Kiffin</b></p>
<p>Kiffin could be a hit in Orlando owing to his vaguely beachy vibe and resemblance to Daniel Tosh. Recruits like him and maybe a few years under Nick Saban have ironed out the wrinkles.</p>
<p>Here's a take on Kiffin from <a href="http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/10/25/9611786/ucf-knights-coaching-search-and-candidates-an-initial-reaction">our own Chas Short:</a></p>
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<p>With his reputation, former Oakland Raiders head coach, Vols head coach, and Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin inevitably will be a name tossed out there by the commentariat. But hiring Kiffin (or any other candidate who would obviously view the job as a stepping stone) seems inconsistent with the UCF approach.</p>
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<p>Before we get to him stepping from UCF to another head coaching job, let's remember he's had three of them already. Sure it'd be fun to hear him talk about singing the fight song all night after beating UConn, but how many mulligans does one man get before we count the strokes?</p>
<p><b>Jim Leavitt</b></p>
<p>This one drips with intrigue. Leavitt wasn't afraid to <a href="http://www.voodoofive.com/2013/11/27/5144410/the-history-of-the-usf-ucf-rivalry-part-i">take jabs at his cross-state rival </a>during a decade at USF. He once led the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking, a level of success they've obviously not seen since he left. Imagine Leavitt doing the same at UCF at the expense of his former employer. There could be a bit of a Favre-returns-to-Green-Bay-this-is-crazy vibe.</p>
<p>Really though, it'd mostly be awkward, not least because Leavitt struck a player and <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25064584/jim-leavitt-back-in-college-game-while-player-he-struck-is-struggling">interfered with USF's investigation</a> of the incident last time around.</p>
<p><b>Houston Nutt</b></p>
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<p>Hey, <a href="http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/26/houston-nutt-expresses-interest-in-ucf-opening/">he's interested.</a></p>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/american-athletic-conference/2015/10/28/9618824/the-seven-worst-coaching-candidates-to-take-over-at-central-florida-george-oleary-ucf-footballHaisten Willis2015-10-26T06:00:01-04:002015-10-26T06:00:01-04:00Ozymandias: A George O'Leary Retrospective
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<p>O'Leary built the UCF football program and raised our expectations for what the Knights should be. He leaves it amid an 0-8 season. </p> <p> </p>
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<div style="text-align: center;">I met a traveller from an antique land</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Tell that its sculptor well those passions read</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">And on the pedestal these words appear:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!'</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Nothing beside remains. Round the decay</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">The lone and level sands stretch far away."</div>
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<p style="text-align: right;">- Percy Bysshe Shelley, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias">Ozymandias</a> (1818)</p>
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<p>Shelley's point was this: achievement is impermanent, and time has a way of making empires fade.</p>
<p>If you told me before the season began that it would be George O'Leary's last season at UCF, I would have believed it. The retirement rumors had long swirled and were at a fever pitch in 2014 when some claimed that O'Leary would retire following the Penn State game in Ireland. If you told me that he would leave after presiding over a colossal wreck of a season, sitting at 0-8, I would have been shocked.</p>
<p>O'Leary leaves a complicated legacy. He built this UCF program, leading it to virtually every meaningful achievement. The Knights' first bowl appearance. Their first bowl win. A <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fiesta-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Fiesta Bowl</a> win. Their first national ranking. Their first top ten ranking. On O'Leary's watch, UCF built an on-campus stadium and jumped conferences twice.<a name="_ftnref1" href="#_ftn1">[1]</a> He coached the Knights to four conference championships: two in Conference USA and two in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american" class="sbn-auto-link">American</a> Athletic Conference. He built winning teams from unheralded recruits, putting players like <span>Blake Bortles</span>, <span>Breshad Perriman</span>, and <span>Latavius Murray</span> into the NFL.</p>
<p>And he bookended all of this with winless seasons. O'Leary went 0-11 in 2004, his first season with the Knights. Even if the team can notch a win this year - which seems very unlikely - O'Leary won't be wearing the headset for it.</p>
<p>What happened off the field also complicates O'Leary's legacy. Before UCF, he spent a total of five days as the head coach of Notre Dame before being fired for making<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/15/sports/notre-dame-coach-resigns-after-5-days-and-a-few-lies.html"> false statements on his resume</a>. O'Leary <a href="http://news.nd.edu/news/6522-statements-on-the-resignation-of-coach-oleary/">described it</a> this way:</p>
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<p>Many years ago, as a young, married father, I sought to pursue my dream as a football coach. In seeking employment, I prepared a resume that contained inaccuracies regarding my completion of course work for a master's degree and also my level of participation in football at my alma mater. These misstatements were never stricken from my resume or biographical sketch in later years. During my coaching career, I believe I have been hired because of the success of my players on the field and the evaluation of my peers. However, these misstatements have resurfaced and become a distraction and embarrassment to the University of Notre Dame, an institution I dearly love.</p>
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<p>And of course, this meant that UCF was able to get a coach who would have been otherwise inaccessible, and at a bargain price. Over the years, UCF proved loyal to O'Leary - even in difficult times and rocky seasons - and O'Leary reciprocated.</p>
<p>Though O'Leary was fired in ignominy from Notre Dame, the UCF sports marketing department embraced a campaign that focused on the entity of the Knight's new coach, casting him as a heel and old school tough guy. The 2004 UCF football poster featured a close-up of a shouting O'Leary and the unfortunate phrase, "Change is nothing to FEAR. The Coach, now that's another story." This, in a year in which the Knights would end up losing every game. Commercials highlighting O'Leary were also . . . awkward.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fJS4fw1xS1Y" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>It was during George O'Leary's tenure that player Ereck Plancher collapsed and following conditioning drills in March 2008. Plancher's death, determined by the Orange County medical examiner to have resulted from sickle cell trait complications, was an absolute tragedy. Extensive civil litigation followed, and though O'Leary was not a defendant, he was a prominent figure in the case. The jury found that UCF's Athletic Association was negligent in Plancher's death. UCF<a href="http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2015/sc13-1872.pdf"> ultimately prevailed</a> on a sovereign immunity issue, and UCFAA's liability was reduced to $200,000.</p>
<p>O'Leary's often candid comments to the media seemed sometimes refreshing, and at other times remarkably tone deaf, especially when cast in the light of the Plancher tragedy. He <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/8/27/4665924/george-oleary-quote-college-football-players">drew criticism</a> for his statement that "There is no question the kids today are softer than kids in the past, in my mind. I think it comes from too much parental babying . . . ."</p>
<p>Still, O'Leary's emphasis on discipline and academics were praiseworthy (and, in truth, not praised nearly enough). In O'Leary's twelve years, there were few player arrests. And Knights earned degrees. UCF had a 90 percent graduation success rate in 2014 - third among public universities, first in the state of Florida, and first in the AAC. The football program improved its graduation success rate the last eight years in a row.</p>
<p>His influence on the fledgling AAC is significant. The Knights won the first conference title in 2013 outright and shared the second with Cincinnati and Memphis last year. The tremendous Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor gave the conference instant credibility in its inaugural year.</p>
<p>This year has been an unqualified failure on the field as the Knights sank to a spectacularly bad 0-8, including a loss to FCS Furman (the Knight's first loss to an FCS or Division II program since leaving Division II themselves). And for a coach who achieved so much success, it's unfortunate that it ends like this. More so considering the <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13969897/george-oleary-ucf-knights-head-coach">revelation</a> that he wanted to retire following the Fiesta Bowl win and was talked back into returning for two more seasons. O'Leary could have easily gone out on the high note, but it wasn't to be. The disappointment of this season would not sting so badly had O'Leary not brought the program to the heights he did. He is the reason the UCF program has the privilege of having real expectations.</p>
<p>O'Leary is in the unusual position of having resigned twice from UCF this year - once from his gig as the interim athletic director, and now from the head coaching job. His choice to step away now will draw comparisons to Steve Spurrier's recent mid-season resignation. And like Spurrier, O'Leary's choice to end things now will help the program he put on the map move on to the future.</p>
<p>So long, George O'Leary. And thanks for the memories. May you have a better fate than Shelley's statue.</p>
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<p><a name="_ftn1" href="#_ftnref1"> [1]</a> Though the invitation to Conference USA came in 2003 before O'Leary was hired.</p>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/american-athletic-conference/2015/10/26/9613590/the-resignation-of-ucf-head-coach-george-oleary-a-retrospectiveChas Short2015-10-25T19:22:37-04:002015-10-25T19:22:37-04:00UCF Coaching Search and Candidates: Early Thoughts
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<p>With George O'Leary resigning, the way is open for someone new to coach the Knights. </p> <p>It's an unusual circumstance to resign twice in rapid succession. Two weeks ago, George O'Leary resigned from his gig as UCF's interim athletic director to focus on his work as head coach of the football team. Now, O'Leary has<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/10/25/9082679/george-oleary-ucf-coach-resigns?_ga=1.159530045.1451436813.1438970654"> resigned the head coach</a> gig in the wake of <a href="http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/10/24/9607658/houston-cougars-ucf-knights-recap" target="_blank">a brutal loss to the Houston Cougars</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Knights</a> now sit at 0-8, with no reason to believe that the team will notch a win in what remains of the season.</p>
<p>Understandably, UCF fans are eager to turn to the question of who will occupy the head coaching job on a non-interim basis (QB Coach Danny Barrett holds the reins for now). At this early stage, most of the musings at this point are necessarily speculative.</p>
<p>So let's speculate, shall we?</p>
<p><b>Danny Barrett. </b>If you're the interim guy, you've got to be at least mentioned in the conversation. Still, it seems unlikely that Barrett would get the nod. This feels more like a "caretaker" choice, similar to the Knights last interim coach, Alan Gooch (Gooch presided over two losses following the firing of Mike Kruczek in 2003, and was replaced by O'Leary in 2004). Barrett is in his fifth year on the UCF staff, having coached the RBs for four years and the QBs this season.</p>
<p>It would not be a flashy hire, but it wouldn't be outlandish either. Barrett has head coaching experience in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (six years worth of it). Promoting internally would be consistent with what has often felt like a philosophy of internal loyalty at UCF. Still, it's difficult to believe that the Knights could make enough noise with Barrett at the helm to give him a serious crack at being hired as head coach.</p>
<p><b>Brent Key.</b></p>
<p>[Update: UCF has now confirmed that Brent Key will not be the next head coach. And UCF will need to pay him $700k over twenty-four months as a result. Sign].</p>
<p>Nope. Nope. Nope. If you're on staff and don't get named the interim guy, you're not going to get the job on a permanent basis either. And in some ways, it's too bad. Brent Key was clearly being groomed as the George O'Leary successor, and had been tremendously loyal to GOL and the UCF program. It was obvious going into this season <a href="http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/1/12/7531459/ucf-shuffles-coaching-staff-in-wake-of-taaffe-retirement-departures" target="_blank">following much staff shuffling that this was going to be Key's audition (a fact reinforced when GOL accepted the interim AD job, necessarily requiring more delegation)</a>. And despite many circumstances outside of Key's control (i.e., the terrible injury luck), that audition was a flop. Having tethered his star to GOL's ultimately ended up being the wrong call for Key.</p>
<p>It would be nice if loyalty, passion, and sacrifice were enough. Unfortunately, they are not. Thanks for your service Brent Key. Next man up.</p>
<p><b>Tom Herman, Justin Fuente, Matt Rhule. </b>No, no, and no. As long as we're eliminating candidates, let's get this out of the way (because we know <i>someone</i> out there is curious): none of the ascendant coaching stars in the AAC are coming over. I know the Knights owned the AAC last year and in 2013 (winning the inaugural championship outright in 2013 and sharing that honor in 2014). And I get that UCF stomped Baylor in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fiesta-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Fiesta Bowl</a> in 2013. But these would still be fundamentally lateral moves to a team in disarray. These are not options.</p>
<p><b>Mario Cristobal. </b>I am firmly convinced that the Knights should jump on Cristobal. Hiring a position coach (Cristobal is the offensive line coach at Bama) sounds strange only to someone who has not followed Cristobal's career. He's (relatively) young, and certainly energetic, which presents a break from what has felt like the aging and decay of the GOL era this season.</p>
<p>Cristobal was the head coach at FIU from 2007-2012. He was the program architect, taking the Golden Panthers to back-to-back bowl games and a milestone road win at Louisville in a year when the Cardinals would go on to be Big East co-champs. After a bit of backsliding, FIU tossed him out in what was an undoubtedly rash move.</p>
<p>He's a Florida guy, which is appealing for a program that has seldom succeeded in capitalizing on Florida recruiting. In addition to his experience at FIU, Cristobal was a player at UM and also had two head coaching stints with the Canes as well. Cristobal is a heck of a recruiter and also has a track record of identifying and pursuing the kind of under-recruited guys who can become stars (T.Y. Hilton, anyone?).</p>
<p>Here is where I won't even pretend to be dispassionate: Cristobal is the guy the Knights need. Let's go and get him.</p>
<p>And let's do it before UM does.</p>
<p><b>Lane Kiffin or your favorite mercenary of choice. </b>With his reputation, former Oakland Raiders head coach, Vols head coach, and Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin inevitably will be a name tossed out there by the commentariat. But hiring Kiffin (or any other candidate who would obviously view the job as a stepping stone) seems inconsistent with the UCF approach, which seems to be focused on a head coach who would stay at the program for a significant period of time (thus the hire of a disgraced GOL in 2004, and the unsuccessful attempt to anoint Key his successor).</p>
<p>That's not to say it's a bad approach necessarily, just not what I would predict UCF to do. Heck, Houston has done pretty well with hiring guys who have gotten hot and moved on (Art Briles, Kevin Sumlin, and presumably Tom Herman will follow this pattern). But consistency has seemed more appealing to the UCF athletic department.</p>
<p><b>Will Muschamp or Al Golden?</b> Heck, when I started writing this post, Al Golden still had a job. It's natural to speculate about the two most recent head football coaches at more established programs in the state of Florida.</p>
<p>Muschamp's tenure at Florida was absolutely dire and characterized by stellar defenses and an offense that played not to lose. He's a great recruiter and a tremendous defensive coach. If he learned from his mistakes at UF, he could make a very fine head coach (and I expect him to get the chance again). Would he want to leave the DC role at Auburn after a year to be a head coach again? Could UCF make a serious play for him? It would be an interesting hire, but would probably leave Knights fans with some misgivings.</p>
<p>Al Golden: no. Please no. While there's some inevitable hey-he-was-the-head-coach-at-a-big-Florida-program appeal, he failed to accomplish anything of note at UM. Golden failed to win enough home state recruiting battles, sometimes seeming to look too much to the northeast (sound familiar, Knights fans?).</p>
<p>Ultimately, it's hard to guess where UCF might ultimately go with its coaching search. It's just been <i>so long </i>since the Knights were looking to hire a head coach, and the program has progressed far beyond where it was at that time.</p>
<p>For now, Knights fans are eager to have something to talk about besides this disastrous, winless season.</p>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/10/25/9611786/ucf-knights-coaching-search-and-candidates-an-initial-reactionChas Short2015-10-25T18:42:58-04:002015-10-25T18:42:58-04:00UCF Must Pay $700,000 to OC Brent Key For Not Naming Him O'Leary's Successor<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/zach_barnett/status/658406173226442752">UCF Must Pay $700,000 to OC Brent Key For Not Naming Him O'Leary's&nbsp;Successor</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>The payments will be dispersed over the next 24 months, but DAMN. That...is a lot of money to throw down the drain.</p></p></div>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/10/25/9612080/ucf-on-the-hook-for-700000-for-not-naming-offensive-coordinator-brentTHETexasStateUniversity2015-10-25T15:53:29-04:002015-10-25T15:53:29-04:00ESPN: UCF Head Coach George O'Leary Resigns<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/658369903917944832">ESPN: UCF Head Coach George O'Leary&nbsp;Resigns</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>QB coach Danny Barrett has been named interim head coach, per<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ucf-coach-george-oleary-retires-20151025-story.html" target="new"> the Orlando Sentinel.</a></p></p></div>
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/10/25/9611546/espn-ucf-head-coach-george-oleary-has-resignedTHETexasStateUniversity