ORLANDO — Matt Botsford, ranked ninth nationally among active Division I coaches in career winning percentage and 11th in total wins, has been named UCF volleyball’s 10th head coach, Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir announced Saturday.
Botsford spent the past 11 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast where he led the Eagles to four consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, including four consecutive, and five NCAA tournament appearances. He also guided the Eagles to their first NCAA First Round win (in its first appearance) in 2018.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Matt and his family to Knight Nation,” Mohajir said. “As one of the winningest active coaches in Division I volleyball, Matt brings a proven track record of success that will elevate our program to new heights. His strong recruiting background at the highest collegiate levels, combined with his international coaching experience, will serve our program well as we compete in the Big 12. His accomplishments at FGCU and deep understanding of the regional and national recruiting landscape made him an ideal fit and we are excited for the future of UCF volleyball under his leadership.
“I want to acknowledge Chris McFarlane, deputy AD, our search committee and Katy Young Staudt (Turnkey Search), for conducting a comprehensive national search to identify the right fit and ideal leader for our volleyball program.”
In Botsford’s tenure as a head coach, he has accumulated a 263-78 (.771) career record and was recently named the 2024 America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Southeast Region Coach of the Year. He has taken the FGCU program to heights it has not seen in the Division I era (2007-present), registering at least 20 wins in nine of the past 10 seasons (excluding COVID 2020) and at least 10 wins in conference play every year.
“The opportunity to lead UCF volleyball is a tremendous honor and I would like to thank President Cartwright and Terry Mohajir for entrusting me with the task,” Botsford said. “Their vision for the future is exciting and I am looking forward to getting started and contributing to that journey. UCF is a premier institution in a premier location with an athletic department committed to excelling at the highest level. I believe that combination positions us for success and opens up endless possibilities for what we can accomplish here.”
The Eagles finished the 2024 season with a 27-5 record and ranked third in the NCAA for aces per set (2.11). Botsford’s squad tallied 263 aces throughout the season, which ranked sixth in the nation.
FGCU made its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after cruising through ASUN conference play with a 15-1 record. His squad led the conference in nearly every statistic, including kills per set (13.66), hitting percentage (.263) and opponent hitting percentage (.168).
In his 11 seasons at FGCU, he garnered three ASUN Coach of the Year honors and mentored a total of 61 players that have earned ASUN All-Conference awards, including seven players tabbed ASUN Player of the Year. Additionally, seven have earned AVCA All-Region selections and three All-America honors.
Botsford and his wife, Lindsey, have a daughter, Harper and a son, Cache.
Mike Dawson returns to UCF
After spending the 2016 and 2017 seasons at UCF, Mike Dawson is returning to Orlando to coordinate the Knights’ defensive run game and serve as the edge coach, head coach Scott Frost announced Friday. Dawson was a member of Frost’s staff during his stint with the program during UCF’s 2017 National Championship run.
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Frost’s staff,” said Dawson. “Having previously worked with him at Nebraska and UCF, I’ve seen firsthand the passion, leadership, and commitment he brings to the game, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Scott.
“I’m looking forward to contributing to the success of this program, working with an outstanding group of coaches, and helping our players grow both on and off the field.”
Dawson rejoins the Knights following a year as a senior defensive analyst for Kansas in 2024 and a season at Ohio State in a similar capacity in 2023. He spent a total of four seasons on Nebraska's coaching staff with Frost as well. Dawson coached Nebraska’s defensive line in 2018, before spending the 2019 season as the outside linebackers coach for the New York Giants. He returned to Lincoln to coach the outside linebackers in 2020 and 2021 and the defensive line/edge rushers in 2022.
In his previous two seasons at UCF in 2016 and 2017, he helped turn around the Knights’ defense. UCF improved by more than 12 points per game in scoring defense during Dawson’s tenure, and the defense forced 58 turnovers and scored nine defensive touchdowns in his two seasons. UCF ranked third nationally in turnovers forced in Dawson’s two seasons at the school, and his defensive line played a key role in that area by helping the Knights recover 23 fumbles.
A coaching veteran in his 24th season, Dawson has coached at the FCS, FBS and professional levels. He has spent 20 seasons in the collegiate ranks, including 14 at FBS schools. Dawson also boasts four years of coaching experience in the National Football League and has coached both outside linebackers and defensive lineman in college and the NFL.
Dawson was a three-year starter at linebacker and defensive end from at UMass-Amherst. He served as team captain as a senior and earned his degree in sports management in 1997.
