UCF announced on Tuesday the search was over and Terry Mohajir was the Knights‘ new vice president and director of athletics.
This hiring came just over two weeks after former UCF AD Danny White departed for the University of Tennessee, bringing former Knights’ head football coach Josh Heupel along with him.
Here are seven intriguing things you need to know about the Knights’ new AD.
1. Mohajir has a track record full of success at the AD position.
According to the program’s website, Arkansas State’s athletic teams combined for 25 different conference championships during Mohajir’s nine-year tenure as AD of the Red Wolves.
These include conference titles in football, volleyball, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, men’s golf, and women’s soccer.
A-State’s 23 Sun Belt Conference titles since 2012 is a conference-high.
The Red Wolves’ football team saw eight winning seasons where they would get the opportunity to play in a bowl game. The Red Wolves won Sun Belt Conference titles during four of these seasons — 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016).
2. Mohajir has coached football at the college level.
Before becoming a director of athletics, Mohajir was an assistant coach for the University of Kansas’ football team.
Mohajir served as the Jayhawks’ assistant offensive line coach and game-day special teams coordinator from 1993-96.
During Mohajir’s three seasons as an assistant coach, the Jayhawks went 21-14.
3. Mohajir prioritizes student success.
While serving as the director of athletics for A-State, Mohajir was focused on more than just the athletic programs.
He helped develop a student-advisory group called the Red Wolves Leadership Academy, or RWLA, which “encompasses everything from a student-athlete mentorship program to fostering leadership in the community,” per the university’s athletic site.
The Red Wolves’ academic performance reached an all-time high by setting multiple records while Mohajir was at the helm. Since the 2014-15 year, the Red Wolves set a new school standard for all-department GPA each passing year.
This includes the 2019-20 year, where A-State’s all-department GPA rose to 3.211, which was a conference-high. The Red Wolves would also set a record with 232 student-athletes making the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in 2018.
4. Mohajir has a great track record of hiring successful head coaches.
According to the university, Mohajir hired nine different coaches at A-State during his nine years with the program.
These hires include three football coaches, who all are currently head coaches at major programs. These coaches are Bryan Harsin (Auburn), Blake Anderson (Utah State), and Butch Jones (Tennessee).
Mohajir hired Brian Dooley as head coach of the women’s soccer team in 2015. Dooley would go on to lead the Red Wolves to a conference championship in 2020. Dooley would be tabbed the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year during that season.
Mohajir also hired Mike Hagen as head coach of the men’s golf team in 2015. Hagen eventually led the Red Wolves to a Sun Belt title in 2019, when he was named Coach of the Year.
Mohajir’s past of hiring head coaches proves to be promising for the UCF football program, which currently has a void at the head coaching position after losing Heupel to the Vols football program in January.
5. Mohajir has a lively personality.
One of the many reasons Knight Nation is thrilled about the new hire is because of Mohajir’s lively personality.
The new AD for the Knights evidently has dancing skills, as TikTok videos of him dancing with his family have surfaced on social media.
UCF sophomore quarterback Dillon Gabriel even posted one of these videos on his Instagram story, captioned “Big mood.”
Along with the Tik Tok videos, Mohajir has been seen being very energetic on the sidelines of football games — whether that is by celebrating with his players, cheering after a big play, or yelling to the ref about a missed call.
The new Knight even does push-ups after every touchdown during some games.
6. Terry Mohajir holds a position with the College Football Playoff Committee.
In recent years, the UCF football team arguably was not given much respect by the College Football Playoff Committee.
This most notably occurred in 2017 when the Knights were left out of the playoffs despite a 13-0 record. The Knights could potentially receive some love by at least one of the members, given that they now have one of their own on the committee, as Mohajir holds a spot.
7. Mohajir once beat UCF while at Arkansas State.
Prior to becoming the director of athletics for the Knights, Mohajir was slightly familiar with the University of Central Florida.
While Mohajir was serving as the director of athletics for Arkansas State University, the Red Wolves would handily defeat the UCF football team in 2016’s Cure Bowl by a final score of 31-13.
