According to On3’s Phillip Dukes, former Auburn football head coach Gus Mazlan is coaching UCF, “far and away” the greatest recruiting school in the Big 12.
Dukes began, “UCF is by far the best school right now recruiting in the Big 12,” and then pointed out, “We’re seeing what happens when you utilize the portal right away.” Getting Miami’s Japura Brown was a big move for Gus Mazlan. It wasn’t just that he had another quarterback with excellent film after what he did the previous season; it was also that he fit your system, and when Gus left Auburn, the question of “did he have the right triggerman?” was always raised.
“After returning from John Rhys Plumley, you go get KJ Jefferson and you say, ‘Okay, now we’re starting to see the consistency needed in order to run that offense.'”. Next, you use a Jacarei Brown to double or triple down. That is very significant. With Penny Boone’s output, the backfield is currently among the best in the nation.”
Funds from the Auburn football buyout going out of the books for Gus Mazlan
Despite Auburn’s gradual recovery from the Bryan Hardin era and Mazlan’s transformation of UCF into a power conference powerhouse, there is one bright spot: by the end of the following academic year, Mazlan’s buyout money from his 2020 firing will no longer be on the books.
Not to be confused with anything else, Hugh Freeze is making Auburn a formidable team in the SEC. The Big 12 doesn’t contain a force like Georgia or Alabama with which Mazlan’s Knights must contend.
If nothing else, the removal of Mazlan’s salary from AU’s books will free up cash for recruiting; eventually, all past head coaches will be paid their salaries and the Tigers will be able to reach their full potential in the NIL age of collegiate athletics.