Gus Malzahn reveals how UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee's game has evolved: 'It's like night and day'

As UCF jumps from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12, they’re thankfully taking quarterback John Rhys Plumlee with them. After spending three seasons at Ole Miss, Rhys Plumlee joined the Knights last offseason and made an immediate impact, establishing himself as one of the most effective dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.

But being a dual-threat QB comes with its fair share of hits, and at Big 12 Media Days, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn spoke about keeping his star quarterback healthy.

“That’s the key, he can’t be our leading rusher,” Malzahn said. “We ran him too much, you gotta keep in mind he didn’t play quarterback for a year and a half before last year. He was learning as we were playing games and then he hit a stride and started playing at a high level. And if he hadn’t got hurt, we would’ve finished really really well.”

Injuries occasionally slowed down Rhys Plumlee in his debut season at UCF, but he still managed to lead the team in rushing and passing yards. He ended last season with 2,586 yards in the air, 862 yards on the ground, and 25 total touchdowns, and those numbers could go up if he keeps progressing the way Malzahn believes he is.

“But he is a complete, different quarterback right now than he was, it’s like night and day, so I’m very excited,” Malzahn said. “When we’ve had a chance to win championships and play for national championships, we’ve had quarterbacks with his skillset and I feel really good about where he’s at right now.”

Another key to keeping Rhys Plumlee healthy will be the balance between his baseball and football careers, as he started 58 games for the Knights baseball team as well this season.

He created a viral moment on social media in April after collecting two hits in the baseball team’s home baseball game versus Memphis then taking a golf cart to UCF’s football stadium where he threw two touchdown passes in the team’s spring football game. And his dedication to the football program while pursuing baseball has gained a certain level of respect and recognition among his teammates.

“You’re exactly right, and he did that all spring,” Malzahn said. “He only missed one spring practice of the 15 and that’s because a game got rained out … So his commitment, he never missed a day, he brought his A-game, he brought energy every day, and the players just love his leadership.”

Malzahn was also asked how the baseball career of his star quarterback impacted his recruiting, as Malzahn pulled back the curtain on his recruitment of Rhys Plumlee dating back to his head coaching days at Auburn.

“Well keep in mind, I recruited him in high school. I recruited Bo Nix, I was trying to get them both, and we came close. He was going to play baseball then, we were gonna let him. So when he went in the portal it was just a natural thing and hey, he did a great job playing baseball but it didn’t let up any on the football end,” Rhys Plumlee.

Malzahn may have missed out on the Rhys Plumlee sweepstakes in high school, but cashed in later, inheriting one of the most all-around exciting college athletes in the nation at the moment who has room to continuing growing as a player this season.