Three universities immediately spring to mind when many people think of college football in the state of Florida: Florida State, Florida, and Miami. The Hurricanes and Gators may be relics from bygone eras, but those teams were once dominant powers in the league. Additionally, all three continue to be recruiting hotspots that often yield NFL talent.
That being said, UCF football is one program in the Sunshine State that is not your “traditional” blue-blood program and has had a lot of success recently.
Unbeknownst to some, UCF football has a bright future. The Knights’ national prominence began in 2017, as many college football fans recall, when they won the Peach Bowl against Auburn 34-27 to cap off an undefeated season. Enraged by their team’s rejection for a College Football Playoff berth, the UCF supporters went on to declare themselves “national champions.”
UCF football has continuously produced winning seasons and been bowl-eligible every year since its flawless 2017 performance, leaving a successful legacy. Gus Malzahn, who has experience recruiting and winning in the Deep South, is leading the Knights into a new era as head coach.
According to 247 Sports, UCF football generated some buzz during the offseason recruiting cycle, behind the Big 12’s second-best 2024 high school recruiting class and a transfer portal class that placed in the top 30 nationally.
Even though Malzahn has a reputation for being a great recruiter, the university’s reputation alone makes it such a desirable place to be. According to the school website, UCF boasts a substantial enrolment and a substantial number of living alumni, surpassing 360,000, making it one of the biggest public schools in the entire nation. Having a beautiful campus and booster money should be major benefits for the Knights in terms of acquiring talent, especially because NIL is one of the main pillars of the sport nowadays.
Additionally, UCF has joined a Power Five conference—or perhaps I should say a Power Four conference. Even though the SEC and Big Ten are currently the two dominant conferences in the sport, UCF still benefits greatly from the Big 12’s widespread recognition. The loss of Oklahoma and Texas has created more parity in the league than it has ever had, and UCF was the only new member to make it to a bowl game in 2023. In addition to the attention, the Knights’ route to the 12-team playoff is somewhat clearer now that they are a member of the Big 12 than it was when they were a Group of Five program in the AAC.
With the exception of Florida State, which finished with back-to-back seasons with ten or more wins and was on the verge of making the playoffs this past season, UCF football has the highest victory percentage (60%) among all Florida programs since the beginning of this decade, surpassing even Miami’s (56%), and Florida’s (50%).
Now that UCF is in a big boy table league, you should never undervalue the abilities of this squad or program. The Knights have been a successful program for many years, and they are still working to improve Orlando’s football culture in general. The future of UCF football is bright, and it would be silly to write them off as one of the top three programs in the state of Florida right now, even though a 2024 playoff bid and Big 12 title run will require something exceptional.