The UCF Football team’s active offseason continued Thursday with the announcement that former Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof was named as the Knights new defensive coordinator.
This news comes right after the announcement that UCF will be moving to the Big East in 2013 for all sports- which was a history-making day for the program.
Now, the Knights are preparing for the move to the new conference by adding new pieces to the coaching staff.
Just days after UCF’s season ended, head coach George O’Leary fired former UCF defensive coordinator John Skladany after a 5-7 campaign.
After a small searching period, O’Leary has made Roof, who served under O’Leary at Georgia Tech from 1998-2001, the new defensive mind of the team in hopes of correcting some of the errors that occurred on the defensive side of the ball this year.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to come to a great place. It’s just as important to come work for a coach who I have tremendous respect for,” Roof said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com. “He gave me my first break as a coordinator in football, and I think it says a lot about how I feel about coach (O’Leary).”
Roof has spent the past three seasons at Auburn as the defensive coordinator of a program that won the BCS National Championship last year.
Roof signed a three-year contract with Auburn earlier this year, but the Tigers struggled this season, going 7-5 after losing Cam Newton to the NFL.
Roof will be a great addition to the UCF coaching staff with his SEC experience. He has coached in nine bowl games in his career, including last year’s national title game. He guided Auburn’s defense, which ranked ninth in the country in rushing defense, 16th in tackles for loss and 24th in sacks in 2010.
Roof’s experience also includes Western Carolina (defensive coordinator in 1997), Massachusetts (defensive line/recruiting coordinator in 1994, defensive coordinator/defensive line from 1995-96), West Georgia (linebackers in 1989) and Alabama (graduate assistant from 1987-88).
He will begin at UCF immediately, and will miss Auburn’s bowl game against Virginia on Dec. 31.
Roof will get the benefit of taking over an already well-established UCF defense that has led Conference-USA in defense over the past four years.
Roof became the defensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets in 1999 while O’Leary was coach, and the duo helped Georgia Tech to a 35-14 record in that time.
The UCF defense had trouble last year, missing key tackles and failed to make plays late in games, which Roof will look to improve.
“Ted was a very demanding coach, but I think he really coached with tough love,” O’Leary said in a statement from the Associated Press. “Players always loved playing for him and I think he got the most out of the talent base that we had to work with—the sign of a good football coach…And he’s a team guy. He’s not just about defense. He understands special teams and offense and that all three have to do well to win football games.”
