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Danny White: Ranking Tennessee Vols AD’s 10 best coaching hires at UCF, Buffalo

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 24, 2019; Storrs, CT, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies during the first inning in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2019; Storrs, CT, USA; Buffalo Bulls head coach Felisha Legette-Jack watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies during the first inning in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 19, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel watches the scoreboard during the second half against the East Carolina Pirates at Spectrum Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel watches the scoreboard during the second half against the East Carolina Pirates at Spectrum Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Record with UCF Knights: 28-8

  • 3 bowl appearances (1-2 in games)
  • 1 New Year’s Six Bowl (2018-19 Fiesta Bowl)
  • 1 AAC Championship (2018)

Back to sustained success, sometimes sustained success means continue to reach certain heights that require you to be on this list. Scott Frost left the UCF Knights for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, his alma matter where he won a national championship as a quarterback, after leading the team to an undefeated 2017 season.

So what did Danny White do? He found another Big 12 quarterback who won a national championship. White hired former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Josh Heupel, who had been offensive coordinator of the Missouri Tigers for two years under Barry Odom.

All Heupel did was continue the success Frost built in two years. In 2018, UCF built on its 13-0 2017 season by going undefeated in the regular season again. They lost this bowl game to the LSU Tigers, but Heupel sustaining that success was amazing.

This team was supposed to have a bit of a rebuilding year in 2019, but Heupel still went 10-3 and finished in the top 25 again. They went 6-4 amidst the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but that was an odd year for everybody. Overall, Heupel has been sustaining the success and kept UCF on track to become a powerhouse program. He was a great hire.

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