New DC Gibbs is fired up

Defense is featuring a young secondary and holes left by veterans

It’s been a whirlwind few days since David Gibbs arrived in Orlando to join Gus Malzahn’s coaching staff as UCF’s new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

There are players to meet, names to learn and defensive schemes to finalize, not to mention the time spent on the virtual recruiting trail.

“We’re hitting the ground running,” said Gibbs, 53, who joined the Knights staff Feb. 18 after spending two seasons coaching defensive backs at Missouri.

The longtime defensive coach has spent nearly three decades at the college and professional levels with stops at Kansas, Minnesota, Auburn, Houston, Texas Tech and Missouri as well as with NFL teams such as the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

It was during his brief time at the University of Houston in 201314 that he got an up-close and personal look at the UCF program.

“I was the defensive coordinator there and we played UCF two years in a row,” Gibbs recalled. “UCF beat Houston both years, but I always thought if I ever had a chance to live in Orlando and coach UCF, you would be crazy not to.”

While Gibbs didn’t have a preexisting relationship with Malzahn, he was familiar with what the former Auburn coach could bring to the job.

“Knowing Coach [Malzahn], knowing the structure that he has and the vision that he has, and fitting that into this place — it’s a sleeping giant,” Gibbs said. “I know all coaches are going to say that, but I believe with the recruiting base, your potential is unlimited.”

That recruiting base centers on the state of Florida, something Malzahn prioritized when he took the job. Since 2014, the Knights have signed 90 high school recruits from the Sunshine States, fewer than USF (147), Miami (119), Florida (114) and Florida State (97).

“People can talk this conference or that conference, it’s all about your recruiting base and how easy it is to get people on campus,” Gibbs explained. “You get them on campus and you build relationships and then you can get them. Obviously, the pandemic has set everyone back. The recruiting base, to me, gives you a chance from Jump Street.

“I think the sleeping giant

thing comes, above anything else, because people realize you can recruit here.”

UCF kicks off spring football camp in two weeks — March 15 — but players have remained busy in the weight room under the watchful eye of new strength and conditioning coach Chris Dawson. Meanwhile, Gibbs and the rest of the defensive staff are busy finalizing the plan for this season.

“Our players have no idea what defense we’re running. They asked me on Friday and I was like, ‘I don’t know yet.’ I have a general idea but we don’t know exactly what we’re going to be running,” Gibbs said.

“[Defensive coordinator] Coach [Travis] Williams will do a great job of getting us organized and lined up.

“You hear coaches say this all the time: ‘I’m a 3-4 defense. I’m a 4-3 defense.’ Well, how do you know what you are until you get there and get coaching your players and watching your players perform what you want them to do? So you have to have some versatility.”

UCF features a young secondary, one that has nine players with at least one career start, but the program must find replacements for veterans such as Richie Grant, Aaron Robinson, Antwan Collier and Brandon Moore.

“I’m excited, but I haven’t seen them do anything but run around cones and run sprints,” Gibbs said.

“Time will tell. But I’m one of those guys — even during practice — all of those things sound good, but the truth of the matter is that you’re not going to know until Saturday afternoon when you line up and play somebody for real.

“For me, I’m fired up.”