The book is officially closed on one of the more notable coach versus employer buyout disputes in recent college football memory.
The final judgment in former UCF defensive coordinator Ted Roof's breach-of-contract lawsuit against the UCF Athletics Association was filed in Orange County Circuit Court yesterday, per Matt Murschel, and the final tally awarded to Roof comes to $685,122.98. That figure includes $614,378.26 in compensatory damages, $20,185.43 in pre-judgment interest, $47,172.60 for attorney fees and $3,386.69 in costs.
Last month, we shared the news that Judge Margaret H. Schreiber had granted Roof's motion for summary judgment, ruling that UCFAA breached his contract. Yesterday's filing puts the final numbers on paper.
For those who need a refresher on how we got here, the fight over Roof's buyout lasted longer than his actual tenure in Orlando. Gus Malzahn hired Roof in January 2024 on a two-year deal worth $1.15 million in guaranteed money, $400,000 for 2024 and $750,000 for 2025. Roof was let go that October 28 with the Knights mired in a five-game losing streak.
A month later, Malzahn resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State, and that's where things got messy. Roof's contract included a clause stating that in the event of Malzahn's resignation, the agreement could be terminated with Roof entitled to just 90 days of pay at the $750,000 annual rate. UCFAA sent Roof a letter attempting to retroactively apply that provision, even though Roof had already been fired without cause 33 days before Malzahn stepped down.
Judge Schreiber didn't buy it, writing that "Roof was terminated without cause under his employment agreement at a time when Malzahn remained as Head Football Coach for UCF," and that no reading of the agreement allowed UCFAA to go back and modify Roof's termination pay after the fact.
Roof has since landed on his feet as the defensive coordinator at Boston College for Bill O'Brien. The veteran defensive mind brings one of the deeper resumes in the profession, having served as the head coach at Duke from 2004-07 before defensive coordinator stops at Minnesota, Auburn (where his defense helped the Tigers to a 14-0 season and the 2010 BCS national title), Penn State, Georgia Tech, Appalachian State, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma before his brief stay at UCF.
Back in Orlando, Scott Frost is preparing for year two of his second tenure leading the Knights, while Malzahn has retired from coaching and now sits on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
This is a great reminder to coaches and agents across the college football landscape that contract language matters, and it matters most on the way out the door. Roof's camp read the agreement correctly, UCFAA didn't, and the difference ended up costing UCF north of $685,000.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.