UCF will be joining the big 12 conference July 1st under the leadership of coach Gus Malzahn who was hired by athletic director Terry Mohajir in early February of 2021.
When coach Malzahn was hired, he said, according to reporting by cbs, that when he took the job from Mohajir, he thought there would be a really good chance that UCF would be going to the power five but was happily surprised at becoming part of the big 12 conference and thankful for Mohajir helping facilitate the process.
The Power Five conferences are the five most prominent and highest-earning athletic conferences in college football in the United States and the big 12 conference is one of the most elite among them.
Malzahn has brought 15 players to Orlando, eight of whom have had Power Five experience including John Rhys Plumlee, a former Ole Miss starter showing a lot of promise and NFL potential. The ingredients of the UCF team which also includes 11 players formerly recruited with power 5 experience all under the leadership of Malzahn could lead UCF to becoming the next big 12 power.
This story was first reported on by CBS.
