UCF coach Gus Malzahn agrees to contract extension through 2027
UCF and coach Gus Malzahn have agreed to a new multi-year contract extension through 2027.
A source familiar with the deal confirmed a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Malzahn and the school reached an agreement early this summer. The school didn’t provide details, but according to the report, Malzahn’s salary increased to $4 million per year on July 1, increasing to $5.5 million in 2026 and 2027.
The salary increase came from the Mission XII initiative, which was the athletic department’s fundraising arm used to help with the transition into the Big 12.
Malzahn’s previous contract, which he signed on Feb. 15, 2021, ran through Dec. 31, 2025, and paid him an annual salary of $2.3 million.
At the time, he ranked high among coaches in the American Athletic Conference salary pool, but when the school made the transition to the Big 12 on July 1, his salary ranked him dead last among his new conference peers at public schools, according to the latest USA Today coaches’ database.
When asked about a possible extension in May, UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir said the department was working with the school’s board of trustees on a potential deal.
“We’re looking at his contract and trying to do our best from a market standpoint,” said Mohajir.
Malzahn’s new salary ranks him 10th among Big 12 coaches, ahead of Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield ($3.5 million) and Baylor’s Dave Aranda ($3 million). His raise would put him among the top half of the current league members, with Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona and Utah joining the league in 2024.
UCF is 21-11 under Malzahn, including 3-2 with an 0-2 record in the Big 12.
The Knights currently have the No. 28 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings with 9 four-star commitments. It’s the second-best recruiting class in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech.
UCF travels to Kansas (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) on Saturday (4 p.m., FOX).
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
