Special teams have been a noteworthy part of the UCF football success the last two seasons under Nick Toth’s direction.
Toth was hired as the special teams coordinator for UCF in January 2018.
Toth brought his unique energy to the special teams unit for the 2018 season, helping the Knights complete their second straight undefeated regular season, win another American Athletic Conference Championship, earn a berth in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and rise as high as seventh in both the Associated Press top 25 and the Amway poll of coaches. UCF then added a 10-3 campaign in 2019 to qualify for a program-record fourth consecutive postseason appearance and won the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
UCF’s special teams played an integral role in the team’s success in 2018, blocking a pair of field goals and inducing four other misses. Placekicker Matthew Wright was named second-team all-conference in the AAC after connecting on 85.7 percent of his field goal attempts (15th in the nation). He also notched 110 total points, third most in a single-season in UCF history.
The kickoff team was ranked 30th in the country with just 20.0 yards allowed per return. Downing 16 punts inside the 20, booming 13 punts more than 50 yards and giving up just 13 returns, punter Mac Loudermilk was named AAC second-team all-conference and was the recipient of the 2018 Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award.
In 2019 Toth and his special teams featured all first-year performers at the punting, placekicking, kickoff, long-snapping and holding roles. Dylan Barnas developed into one of the most dependable field-goal kickers in the AAC—with his 15-of-17 efficiency (.882) ranking him 11th nationally. Punter Andrew Osteen averaged 42.2 yards per kick and produced a dozen of 50 or more yards. Meanwhile, Otis Anderson ranked sixth nationally in punt returns at 13.2 yards each.
Toth came to Orlando after serving as the spurs/nickels coach at the Air Force Academy for one season in 2017. He helped the Falcons rank 10th in the nation in opponent passing at 171.1 yards per game. Marquis Griffin was named All-Colorado after notching 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups.
Prior to his single season in Colorado Springs, Toth spent five years at Fresno State, the first four as defensive coordinator while also coaching inside linebackers. His defense earned 17 All-Mountain West selections and one 2012 unanimous All-American in safety Phillip Thomas. Thomas was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, won the CFPA Defensive Back Trophy and was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after leading the nation with eight interceptions.
After having only nine turnovers gained in 2011, the year before Toth’s hiring, Fresno State came back in 2012 and recorded the greatest turnover turnaround in the Football Bowl Subdivision since the turn of the century. Finishing with 35 takeaways in 2012 (ranking fifth in the FBS), the Bulldogs’ differential in turnovers gained in one season under Toth was plus-26.
His 2013 defense ranked sixth in the FBS with more than three sacks per game and 40 for the season and also ranked fourth with 8.2 tackles for loss per game. Over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Fresno State and Stanford were the only schools in the country that ranked in the top 10 in sacks both years.
Toth coached at Texas A&M where he was the outside linebackers coach while also serving as the Aggies’ special teams coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
In his first season in College Station, Toth oversaw the development of linebacker Von Miller, who captured the prestigious Butkus Award during an All-America campaign in 2010. Miller went on to be the No. 2 overall pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was also responsible for coaching the No. 1 kicker in the nation, Lou Groza Award winner Randy Bullock.
Prior to his two seasons at Texas A&M, Toth was the defensive backs coach and special teams coach at The Citadel in 2009.
Toth gained three years of experience working as a defensive coordinator from 2006-08. In 2006, he was the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at Mercyhurst (Pennsylvania) College and from 2007-08 he was Ashland (Ohio) University’s defensive coordinator.
Toth coached defensive backs at Elon (2005), defensive linemen at Ohio (2004) and defensive backs at Dakota State (2002). He was also the special teams coordinator at Elon, spent the 2003 season as the tight ends coach at Ohio and was a defensive graduate assistant with the Bobcats from 2000-01.
A graduate of Ohio University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Toth played running back and defensive back for the Bobcats from 1994-99. He next worked one year on the high school level before returning to Ohio as a graduate assistant coach. He earned his master’s degree in athletic administration from Ohio in 2002.
Toth, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was born on Oct. 16, 1975. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three sons; Nicholas IV, Michael and Johnathon, and one daughter, Susan.
Toth was hired as the special teams coordinator for UCF in January 2018.
Toth brought his unique energy to the special teams unit for the 2018 season, helping the Knights complete their second straight undefeated regular season, win another American Athletic Conference Championship, earn a berth in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and rise as high as seventh in both the Associated Press top 25 and the Amway poll of coaches. UCF then added a 10-3 campaign in 2019 to qualify for a program-record fourth consecutive postseason appearance and won the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
UCF’s special teams played an integral role in the team’s success in 2018, blocking a pair of field goals and inducing four other misses. Placekicker Matthew Wright was named second-team all-conference in the AAC after connecting on 85.7 percent of his field goal attempts (15th in the nation). He also notched 110 total points, third most in a single-season in UCF history.
The kickoff team was ranked 30th in the country with just 20.0 yards allowed per return. Downing 16 punts inside the 20, booming 13 punts more than 50 yards and giving up just 13 returns, punter Mac Loudermilk was named AAC second-team all-conference and was the recipient of the 2018 Peter Mortell Holder of the Year Award.
In 2019 Toth and his special teams featured all first-year performers at the punting, placekicking, kickoff, long-snapping and holding roles. Dylan Barnas developed into one of the most dependable field-goal kickers in the AAC—with his 15-of-17 efficiency (.882) ranking him 11th nationally. Punter Andrew Osteen averaged 42.2 yards per kick and produced a dozen of 50 or more yards. Meanwhile, Otis Anderson ranked sixth nationally in punt returns at 13.2 yards each.
Toth came to Orlando after serving as the spurs/nickels coach at the Air Force Academy for one season in 2017. He helped the Falcons rank 10th in the nation in opponent passing at 171.1 yards per game. Marquis Griffin was named All-Colorado after notching 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups.
Prior to his single season in Colorado Springs, Toth spent five years at Fresno State, the first four as defensive coordinator while also coaching inside linebackers. His defense earned 17 All-Mountain West selections and one 2012 unanimous All-American in safety Phillip Thomas. Thomas was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, won the CFPA Defensive Back Trophy and was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after leading the nation with eight interceptions.
After having only nine turnovers gained in 2011, the year before Toth’s hiring, Fresno State came back in 2012 and recorded the greatest turnover turnaround in the Football Bowl Subdivision since the turn of the century. Finishing with 35 takeaways in 2012 (ranking fifth in the FBS), the Bulldogs’ differential in turnovers gained in one season under Toth was plus-26.
His 2013 defense ranked sixth in the FBS with more than three sacks per game and 40 for the season and also ranked fourth with 8.2 tackles for loss per game. Over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Fresno State and Stanford were the only schools in the country that ranked in the top 10 in sacks both years.
Toth coached at Texas A&M where he was the outside linebackers coach while also serving as the Aggies’ special teams coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
In his first season in College Station, Toth oversaw the development of linebacker Von Miller, who captured the prestigious Butkus Award during an All-America campaign in 2010. Miller went on to be the No. 2 overall pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was also responsible for coaching the No. 1 kicker in the nation, Lou Groza Award winner Randy Bullock.
Prior to his two seasons at Texas A&M, Toth was the defensive backs coach and special teams coach at The Citadel in 2009.
Toth gained three years of experience working as a defensive coordinator from 2006-08. In 2006, he was the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at Mercyhurst (Pennsylvania) College and from 2007-08 he was Ashland (Ohio) University’s defensive coordinator.
Toth coached defensive backs at Elon (2005), defensive linemen at Ohio (2004) and defensive backs at Dakota State (2002). He was also the special teams coordinator at Elon, spent the 2003 season as the tight ends coach at Ohio and was a defensive graduate assistant with the Bobcats from 2000-01.
A graduate of Ohio University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Toth played running back and defensive back for the Bobcats from 1994-99. He next worked one year on the high school level before returning to Ohio as a graduate assistant coach. He earned his master’s degree in athletic administration from Ohio in 2002.
Toth, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was born on Oct. 16, 1975. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three sons; Nicholas IV, Michael and Johnathon, and one daughter, Susan.