Sports

UCF hires former Oklahoma quarterback as new head coach

By Mike Garbett
Former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, who was Missouri’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons, was named head coach at UCF on Tuesday.
Former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, who was Missouri’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons, was named head coach at UCF on Tuesday. L.G. Patterson AP

After losing head coach Scott Frost to Nebraska, Central Florida moved quickly to find his replacement, hiring Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel on Tuesday.

A former college quarterback like Frost, Heupel, 39, led Oklahoma to the national championship in 2000 while winning the Associated Press player of the year award.

Former Miami head coach Randy Shannon, who was Florida’s interim coach this season after Jim McElwain was fired, was named defensive coordinator.

This will be Heupel’s first head coaching job. He was an assistant at Oklahoma (2004, 2006-14), Arizona (2005), Utah State (2015) and Missouri (2016-17).

Former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin was thought to be the leading contender for the UCF job, but contract talks broke down over the weekend.

Mike Garbett: 941-745-7011; @MGarbett52

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 11:52 AM with the headline "UCF hires former Oklahoma quarterback as new head coach."

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