Jeff Lebby is a strong candidate to become UCF's next head coach, sources told FootballScoop on Wednesday.
Lebby is well known in Orlando, having served as UCF's quarterbacks coach in 2018 and offensive coordinator in 2019. His one season at the helm of the offense saw the Knights set a school record with 540.5 yards per game while posting 43.4 points per game. As a true freshman, Dillon Gabriel ranked 13th in FBS in passing efficiency, nailing 59.3 percent of his passes for 9.2 yards per attempt with 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Lebby had the immediate support of many Knights players following Josh Heupel's hiring at Tennessee. Gabriel, set to return as a junior in 2021, was strongly in favor of Lebby's hiring.
UCF announced Terry Mohajir as its new AD on Tuesday, and so a move could come together quickly. A Lebby hiring would fit Mohajir's mold. Prior to hiring Butch Jones, Mohajir made then-offensive coordinators Bryan Harsin and Blake Anderson first-time head coaches in Jonesboro.
The UCF job is arguably the top job in the entire Group of 5.
The Oklahoma graduate began his career in the Texas high school ranks before joining his father-in-law Art Briles's staff at Baylor. He was named FootballScoop's Running Backs Coach of the Year in 2013 and coached five 1,000-yard rushers in five seasons.
In between Baylor and UCF, Lebby spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Southeastern University in Florida and immediately led the Fire to the top of the NAIA scoring charts.
Lebby is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss, where in one season he and Lane Kiffin helped the Rebels leap from 54th to 10th nationally in yards per play and from 81st to 14th in scoring, a gain of nearly 13 points per game.
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