Josh Heupel will take over the UCF Knights.
The UCF athletics director made the announcement Tuesday morning.
Heupel comes to UCF from Missouri, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the last two seasons.
He’s here for sustained success.
— #Perfect2Peach 🍑 (@UCF_Football) December 5, 2017
Welcome to Orlando, @coachjoshheupel!
📰
https://t.co/U2J5is7XzG#ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/oPEx7msW1u
In those two seasons, Heupel helped move Mizzou's offense from number 124 in the nation to number 7.
Heupel also coached at Utah State, Arizona and Oklahoma, his alma mater, where he was a starting quarterback in 2000 and 2001.
He replaces Coach Scott Frost, who is leaving UCF to go to Nebraska.
UCF went undefeated in 2017, winning the AAC championship last Saturday against Memphis.
Heupel himself tweeted a video this afternoon, before a 2 p.m. formal announcement at a news conference:
Let’s go do this Knight Nation!!! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/x5gWPtQcUe
— Josh Heupel (@coachjoshheupel) December 5, 2017
Heupel is wasting no time forming his staff, naming Randy Shannon the new defensive coordinator.
Shannon served as Florida Gators defensive coordinator and interim head coach. He was also head coach at Miami from 2007 to 2010, and the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes from 2001 to 2006.
Shannon's Gators defense was ranked fifth in the nation in 2016.
Shannon also played as a linebacker for the Hurricanes, including with the 1987 national championship team, followed by two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He began his coaching career with Miami in 1991.
One of the nation’s best defensive minds and recruiters is a Knight!
— #Perfect2Peach 🍑 (@UCF_Football) December 5, 2017
Welcome to Orlando, Coach Shannon!
📰
https://t.co/Vl2A86veoo#ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/OrMcaHPrlY