Is coaching exodus a sign of worry or respect for UCF?

Have the dominoes begun to fall?

This is the question I asked when former UCF defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable left to join the Wisconsin Badgers' defensive staff earlier this year.

Well, it seems to be a domino effect, as more UCF coaches are getting noticed — and by the tops in the business. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick recently hired former running backs coach George Godsey as his new offensive assistant.

This may not mean that prized recruiter and wide receivers coach David Kelly is on his way out, but it does mean that UCF coaches are being noticed.

But why now?

Well, the easy answer is that the Knights finished this past season ranked in the top 25 and are being regarded as a possible BCS-buster program, of which have historically been raided by traditional football colleges looking to fill their coaching staffs.  

But it should also be noted that former UCF defensive coach Gene Chizik just won the National Championship as head coach of Auburn, in case you haven't heard.

Also, three UCF Knights — starting guard Josh Sitton and safeties Atari Bigby and Michael Greco — just won the Super Bowl as members of the Green Bay Packers.

It seems that Knights are getting it done on all levels.

Is this enough to say that UCF is synonymous with winning? Not quite. But it is enough to realize that there is something to the coaching staff here in Orlando.

Neither of those players that won the Super Bowl were high draft picks, in fact Sitton was the only one taken in the draft (in the fourth round). But when they landed on an NFL roster, teams found that they knew how to play and that they could contribute.

Chizik must have learned a thing or two from coaches at UCF. Granted, he was not involved with the George O'Leary regime that took over in 2004 (Chizik left the Knights in 2001), but he is still a part of UCF football history.

So what now? Should we be worried? Should UCF start paying its coaches more?

I don't think we should be worried. Though Huxtable is a big loss, and Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver will surely miss Godsey, the Knights coaching staff is deep enough to continue strong.

John Skladany has taken over defensive play-calling duties once again, and I believe the UCF defense is a product of the culture more than the coaching. And former Bethune-Cookman offensive coordinator Danny Barrett will be taking over running backs.

Many people are worried that Kelly, an ace recruiter, could land a job as head coach at another university because of his recruiting contacts in the talent hotbed that is South Florida.  

It is widely speculated that he is the coach-in-waiting at UCF and will probably take that role on. But if a big-time program looking to juice up its recruiting comes calling, don't be surprised if he makes a Huxtable-type move.

Coaches leave programs all the time. It's a part of the game. And the better that UCF gets, the more coaches will be noticed and offered more money to relocate.

In the long run it will be a good thing. The Knights' name will get out there, and the reputation that has started in the classrooms and on the field will continue to grow.

These are growing pains and while it may hurt at first, the Knights will be bigger and better.

(As long as David Kelly doesn't leave.)