UCF Football News: Kristi Malzahn Doing Better, Thoughts from the Press Conferences

Updating Kristi Malzahn and the positive news with her health, and UCF Football had its coordinators and new transfers come to the microphone and speak with the media.

Brian Smith | Feb 3, 2022

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UCF Knights

Now that UCF Football can start to inch towards spring practice, there was some house cleaning that needed to be addressed this week. Here’s a quick overview of what’s happening with Mrs. Kristi Malzahn, plus the press conferences.

Message From Coach Malzahn

For those of you that did not know already, UCF Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn loves recruiting. Always has. When members of the media received an email from the UCF Sports Information Department stating that Coach Malzahn would not be at the National Signing Day press conference, it was quite concerning.

We all knew that Kristi Malzahn had been hospitalized, but that email truly placed the situation in perspective. With that said, the very next day Coach Malzahn posted the following on Twitter:

Thankful to share this positive update: pic.twitter.com/2ZPSRWDA1I
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) February 3, 2022

The resiliency of Mrs. Malzahn must be commended, as well as all the good people that helped her during this difficult time. May she have a quick and seamless recovery while resting at home. That’s great news!

As for National Signing Day, it was different than usual with a press conference centered around the transfers and the two UCF coordinators.

and we're just getting started 🚀 pic.twitter.com/rX26AF9fm2
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 3, 2022

What They Said

Here’s part of the press conference from Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey:

The Future of College Football 📍 UCF@ChipLindsey11 ⚔️ @T_WILL4REAL pic.twitter.com/h7oJS88h7t
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 2, 2022

Next, Here’s Ole Miss transfer quarterback John Rhys Plumlee:

😎🎤⬇️ @PlumleeJohn pic.twitter.com/5rJxi7emwK
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 3, 2022

At receiver, UCF brings in Kobe Hudson from Auburn:

UCF is 🏡 @GoLiveK5 pic.twitter.com/LUyNySSx4w
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 3, 2022

Thoughts From the Press Conferences

As stated several times within articles at Inside The Knights and during The Daily Knight podcasts, the importance of signing defensive tackle Lee Hunter cannot be overstated. To provide an idea of what level of talent he was at an early age, consider the following statement from Defensive Coordinator Travis Williams:

“I’ve been recruiting him since the ninth grade.”

Just stop and think about that statement. Ninth grade. That’s a dude. UCF is quite fortunate to get Hunter to UCF. He changes the defense. UCF may not sign another transfer with more unique size and skills than Hunter over the next ten years.

Plumlee is an interesting guy. He’s down to earth, knows what it’s like to be in the spotlight, and he wants to play. He has a chance to make an impact at UCF.

Hudson is what he should be. He’s an extremely confident wide receiver that knows he has the ability to start at UCF and be a mainstay in the offense. Just hard to see him doing anything but being the starting boundary wide receiver for the Knights.

As for Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey, his comment about incoming tight end transfer Kemore Gamble should catch the attention of UCF Football fans.

“He’s a guy that will play at the next level (NFL).” Coach Lindsey started off his commentary about Gamble, and he truly is a player worthy of being first because of his all-around talent. Coach Lindsey also aptly mentioned how Gamble could play as a traditional tight end attached to the offensive tackle, out wide, and as a H-back. His versatility is going to really help the UCF offense. It’s highly recommended to watch it all the way through because there’s a lot of information about playing styles, as well as the ability to learn more about each player’s personality.

Here’s the entire press conference:

National Signing Day Press Conference
🎙 @T_WILL4REAL
🎙 @ChipLindsey11
🎙 @PlumleeJohn
🎙 @GoLiveK5
🎙 @kemoregamble15
🎙 @koby24beast https://t.co/1P9sm1imC0
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 2, 2022