IS UCF TRYING TO GET RID OF O’LEARY?

After building University of Central Florida into a legitimate force at the D-I level, it’s been a tumultuous few years for George O’Leary at UCF. In the last year alone, two players have collapsed in training sessions, one of which killed UCF player Ereck Plancher. With the school embroiled in a lawsuit with Plancher’s family, and with ESPN running a very negative piece on O’Leary’s workouts and the treatment of Plancher, it’s been surprising to see UCF stand so strongly behind their head coach.Yet SI.com football writer Stewart Mandel brings up an interesting angle in his article about the 10 most compelling offseason storylines in college football. He mentions O’Leary’s 10-year contract (Is there a single 10-year coaching contract that a school likes these days?), which has a $5 million buyout, as one of the potential reasons that O’Leary is so firmly entrenched at the school.But he also mentions that UCF hired attorney Michael Glazier to conduct a independent investigation into the two training incidents, as well as into the program’s training program in general. As Mandel writes, “Many believe Glazier -- who primarily works with schools under NCAA investigation -- was really brought in to find a defensible cause for firing O’Leary without having to pay his buyout."With the findings being revealed soon, stay tuned to hear the fate of O’Leary and his future at UCF.