Gus Malzahn’s Wife Got ‘Sick’ & He Considered Retirement but a Family Decision Changed His Career at FSU

Time for a truth bomb. Gus Malzahn was so miserable at UCF, he would have retired if the Florida State Seminoles hadn’t hired him. Not everyone would say that so bluntly, but the former Auburn head coach is like that and said it himself. And that last part is what is stinging No. 8 Alabama fans after their 31-17 surprise win of the season in Week 1. So how bad was it in Orlando last year? The answer isn’t just football. It’s personal…

In his own words, family was the first factor that pushed Gus Malzahn toward stepping away from coaching altogether. Sitting down with David Pollack, he opened up about how much his wife’s health changed his outlook. “There was a lot of factors that goes into it. My wife Christy, which we do this football thing together, she got sick about four years ago, about lost her, and it just kind of totally changed my perspective, you know, about coaching everything. UCF, man, we had a great time. That’s a great place. In the future, I think that’s going to be a program to be reckoned with,” Malzahn explained.

He admitted that after the 2024 season, he was at a breaking point. “It was kind of one of those deals like we got through with the season. I thought about retiring, and then I talked to Mike [Norvell], and hey man, I want you to come here and be the offense coordinator and call plays and just the joy of kind of getting back to kind of who I was when I first got in college football,” he told Pollack. The decision wasn’t only about football—it was about geography and family. “My grandkids and kids live in Auburn, and Birmingham were a lot closer. So really, it was just a combination of all the above. You take that job, and then you have a guy that you have familiarity with.”

That familiarity was Mike Norvell. Gus Malzahn later told Warchant’s Ira Schoffel that had it not been for Norvell’s call, he would have been gone. “This was it,” Malzahn said. “I wasn’t out looking. I mean, I was either going to the beach and retiring or I was coming here. It was one or the other.” Those words capture just how miserable he’d become at UCF. The Big 12 leap was supposed to energize the Knights, but for Malzahn it only highlighted how under-resourced the program was compared to league heavyweights.

He didn’t mince words on that either. That honesty is rare in a profession built on masks. He acknowledged UCF was treading in the wrong direction, and not just in wins and losses. Everyone knows the Knights only got half of the Big 12’s yearly revenue for their first two seasons, but they will get the full amount starting this season. “It just wasn’t working there, and it was pretty obvious,” Malzahn said of his decision to leave. “You know, we only had half a share (of Big 12 revenue) for two years. We were playing catch-up. And in the future, I think they’re going to be really good. But it was just time.”

The truth is, Malzahn didn’t want to endure another public unraveling. After being fired at Auburn, the sting of social media’s “Twitter Mafia” left scars. At UCF, he was growing sensitive to constant criticism while staring down an uneven playing field financially. Insiders say he knew sticking around risked another messy exit. By stepping away before he was pushed, Malzahn saved face and preserved his legacy. And with Norvell’s trust, he walked into a role that removed the heavy weight of program CEO and let him get back to simply drawing ball plays on napkins.

Now look at him balling out Bama with Noles as OC, just like old times. Malzahn, as both an OC and an HC, has arguably had the most success against Alabama. Even when Nick Saban was there, he gave them the most trouble. He not only made the best decision for himself, but ultimately, he made the right call for UCF as well…

Why UCF should thank Gus Malzahn for leaving at the right time

Another reality, and maybe the most overlooked one, is that UCF owes Gus Malzahn a genuine debt of gratitude. In today’s CFB world, most big-name coaches hang on for dear life, forcing a firing and cashing a buyout check the size of a lottery jackpot. Malzahn easily could have done that. His contract included a staggering $12 million buyout, and no one would have been surprised if he had stubbornly held on, waiting for the inevitable pink slip. Instead, he walked away on his own terms.

By stepping down voluntarily, Malzahn gave UCF something that money can’t buy: momentum. His exit opened the door for AD Terry Mohajir to hit reset and reinvigorate a restless fan base. That reset came in the form of Scott Frost’s return, a move that instantly lit a spark across Orlando. Frost isn’t just a familiar face—he’s the architect of UCF’s undefeated 2017 season and the program’s national relevance. His homecoming has already paid dividends.

Just this week, the Knights announced a new fundraising record: $52.8 million in cash and commitments for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. That wouldn’t have happened without Malzahn knowing when to move on.