Dawkins' extension talks continue amid crucial recruiting. UCF navigates leadership needs with key departures looming and the transfer portal set to open.
UCF decided to extend Johnny Dawkins after back-to-back 20-win seasons and making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, but it's been a quiet two weeks since the news.
Dawkins' representation and the school are discussing the terms of his extension. With the transfer portal set to open on Tuesday, the Knights must have a leader at the helm for recruiting.
"It's a big point for them because they want to make sure that if you're out there recruiting and you're out there trying to get transfer portal guys and you're trying to get other other guys to come to the program, you've got to let everyone know that Johnny's going to be there for a while," Orlando Sentinel's Matt Murschel said on the Mark Moses show.
The Knights should be active in the portal, as key seniors will be departing from the team after their eligibility expires. Guards Riley Kugel, George Beale Jr. and Themus Fulks, and forwards Devan Cambridge and Jamichael Stillwell are among the leaving seniors.
UCF would need to target a mix of scoring, playmaking and experience in the portal to mitigate the departures of its seniors.
Although Dawkins remains the coach during a crucial part of the offseason, Murschel said Terry Mohajir, UCF's athletic director, doesn't want to handicap himself with a long-term deal.
"I'm probably of the belief it's going to be a kind of a multi-year deal," Murschel said. "Maybe two [years] and then after every year, every two years, maybe they'll try to redo it depending on how the process of the program goes because Terry doesn't want to get locked into a long-term deal."
A two-year deal provides Mohajir the flexibility to retain Dawkins, while not committing himself long-term, especially in a scenario where the program goes down a dark road.
Dawkins has accomplished many achievements in his decade at UCF. He recently won the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, made two NCAA Tournament appearances, and has accounted for over 80% of the team's upset victories against AP Top-25 opponents.
Mohajir understands Dawkins has been successful coaching the Knights and is extending him for the short-term future.
"I think they understand that Johnny's a big part of what they've done and their success this past couple of years," Murschel said. "And he's a guy who wants to stick around at UCF."
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