Former UCF defensive coordinator Ted Roof was granted a summary judgment in his breach-of-contract lawsuit against the UCF Athletics Association.
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Orange County Circuit Court Judge Margaret H. Schreiber handed down her ruling in an eight-page document filed on Thursday.
“There can be no dispute that an unambiguous contract will be enforced according to its plain meaning, and when contractual language is clear and unambiguous, courts cannot indulge in construction or interpretation of that plain meaning,” Schreiber stated in her judgment. “The Court finds that the Employment Agreement at issue in this case is clear and unambiguous.”
Roof was fired Oct. 28, 2024, by then-head coach Gus Malzahn following the Knights’ 37-24 loss to BYU and was presented with a formal termination letter. He was replaced by Addison Williams, who served as co-defensive coordinator.
Roof joined Malzahn’s coaching staff Jan. 17, 2024, after serving as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2022-23. He signed a two-year contract with the school that paid him a base salary of $400,000 in 2024 and would have paid him $750,000 in 2025.
According to a lawsuit filed by Roof on Jan. 24, 2025, UCF tried to adjust his termination compensation after Malzahn resigned Nov. 30, 2024 — 33 days after Roof was terminated without cause.
Roof received a letter from UCF on Dec. 6, 2024, notifying him that it was “retroactively applying the terms of the Employment Agreement relating to the resignation of Gus Malzahn as Head Football Coach.”
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The provision that UCF was basing its argument on stated that: “In the event of the resignation of Gus Malzahn as Head Football Coach, this agreement may be terminated and the employee shall be entitled to receive 90 days of pay at the seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) annual rate, effective as of the resignation date of the Head Football Coach.”
But the lawsuit stated that the provision is meaningless because it applies only if the school still employed Roof at the time of Malzahn’s resignation.
Judge Schreiber agreed, stating in her judgment: “UCFAA asserts the later resignation of Malzahn allows it to go back and modify the termination compensation provision, effective as of the date of Malzahn’s resignation. This Court does not agree. Roof was terminated without cause under his employment agreement at a time when Malzahn remained as Head Football Coach for UCF.
“ … There is no reading of the Employment Agreement which would allow UCFAA to modify Roof’s termination pay only (as opposed to his employment) — be it 33 days, 3 months or 13 months after Malzahn resigned his own employment relationship with UCF.”
The judge awarded Roof $637,770 in compensatory damages, representing the unpaid balance of his base salary for 2024-25. She also stated that Roof is entitled to receive attorney’s fees and any costs that he incurred during the trial.
Roof, 62, is in his first season as defensive coordinator at Boston College under coach Bill O’Brien. Malzahn spent last season as the offensive coordinator at Florida State before announcing his retirement Feb. 2. He is on the 13-member selection committee for the College Football Playoff.
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Matt Murschel can be reached at [email protected]