Determined to crack the upper tier of the new-look Big 12 Conference, UCF's football team breaks camp Monday morning for its first preseason practice.
The Knights stumbled out of the blocks in their new league, dropping their first five Big 12 games before salvaging bowl eligibility with a 3-1 November finish. Still, Georgia Tech's come-from-behind, 30-17 Gasparilla Bowl victory condemned UCF to its first losing season since 2016 — and the first sub-.500 record of Gus Malzahn's 12-year head coaching career at the Division I level.
Changing coordinators, plugging holes in the transfer portal and signing the most talented freshman class in program history suggest, however, that UCF is trending in the right direction ahead of Year 2. The Knights were picked to finish eighth out of 16 teams in the conference's preseason media poll, with Utah, Kansas State and Oklahoma State taking the top three spots.
For the second year in a row, Malzahn will not need to entertain questions regarding a quarterback controversy. KJ Jefferson, a three-year starter at Arkansas, committed to the Knights on New Year's Day and will lead them onto the field Aug. 29 to face New Hampshire, provided he is healthy.
With that in mind, there are more than a few uncertainties the Knights face — and one month to reach conclusions. Here are five questions UCF will need to answer during fall camp.
How will the carries be shared following Peny Boone's arrival?
Few backfields in the country are as deep and accomplished as UCF's. In addition to dual-threat Jefferson, who rushed for 1,876 yards and 21 touchdowns across five seasons for the Razorbacks, the Knights have a pair of returning 1,400-yard rushers in RJ Harvey and spring transfer portal addition Peny Boone and experienced speedsters Johnny Richardson and Myles Montgomery within the ranks.
Boone shined last season at Toledo, earning Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year acclaim, but the 6-foot-1, 242-pound bruiser lasted less than four months at Louisville before re-entering the portal. Still, UCF prioritized him following spring camp to further strengthen its options to pound the rock.
RJ Harvey Q&A:UCF running back pleased with EA College Football 25 rating, looking forward to Big 12 season
So, how will Malzahn and offensive coordinator Tim Harris utilize this plethora of running back riches? Harvey will surely get the majority of the snaps and workload, Richardson is largely used on sweeps in space and Montgomery is accustomed to multi-man committees. Boone's addition has huge X-factor potential to keep Harvey fresh and pound away on Big 12 defensive fronts late in games and during the back half of the season.
Who starts next to Kobe Hudson and Xavier Townsend at wide receiver?
Two of the Knights' top three receivers return from last season, with the exception of New England Patriots fourth-round draft pick Javon Baker — the Big 12's yardage leader (1,139).
Kobe Hudson caught a team-high eight touchdowns, adding 900 yards on just 44 receptions. Xavier Townsend set new career-highs across the board with 33 catches, 325 yards and three scores. Additionally, tight end Randy Pittman Jr. is ready for an expanded role after an impressive freshman debut (19 receptions, 215 yards, one TD).
There is a big vacancy to fill on the perimeter, though, and the competition for reps should be fairly wide open.
Trent Whittemore, a second-generation Knight, is a dependable run blocker (69.1 PFF grade) with extensive SEC experience from his time at Florida. Ja'Varrius Johnson played for Malzahn at Auburn, where he caught 64 passes for 1,114 yards and eight TDs in 35 games.
Jarrad Baker worked his way back from a pair of debilitating knee injuries to gain the trust of Malzahn and his staff. Tyree Patterson pushed up the depth chart in the latter half of his true freshman season, Chauncey Magwood should get additional looks after protecting his eligibility by redshirting and Ohio transfer Jacoby Jones will have a point to prove after suffering a season-ending leg injury early in 2023.
Keep an eye on freshman Bredell Richardson as well. Malzahn personally recruited the Tampa native, and he made a handful of big plays in the spring after enrolling early.
Can UCF find a consistent quintet along the offensive line?
UCF jumbled its offensive line from start to finish last fall, rolling out seven combinations across the 13 games. Four players — Drake Metcalf, Bula Schmidt, Caden Kitler and Lokahi Pauole — drew at least two starts at center, a byproduct of injuries and inadequate performance at the position.
Two starters return from the unit that took the field for the Gasparilla Bowl: tackle Amari Kight and guard Adrian Medley. Marcellus Marshall made 11 starts after arriving from Kent State, splitting them across three spots (right tackle, left guard, right guard).
Kitler and Samford transfer Jabari Brooks are the frontrunners for the center spot, while Paul Rubelt has waited patiently for his turn at right tackle after appearing in 27 games the previous two campaigns. UCF also grabbed Wes Dorsey (Western Kentucky) and Keegan Smith (Central Michigan) out of the portal to bring in extra competition.
Jefferson's productivity at Arkansas dipped as his offensive line crumbled last year, and the Knights want to continue to be a top-10 rushing attack in the country. Solidity and consistency in the trenches will be crucial to maximizing the explosive potential of UCF's offensive skill players.
How will UCF improve against the run under defensive coordinator Ted Roof?
While UCF was prolific running the football in 2023, it was equally incapable of stopping its opponents from doing the same defensively. The Knights ranked 122nd of 130 FBS teams in rush defense, allowing 194.3 yards per game. For context, only Georgia Tech gave up more on the ground among Power Four programs.
Malzahn made a pair of changes to his defensive staff in January, hiring Ted Roof as defensive coordinator and Trovon Reed as cornerbacks coach. Addison Williams was retained as associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator, secondary coach David Gibbs departed for Illinois before resigning due to a medical issue and Ernie Sims was relieved of his duties as linebackers coach.
Roof, 60, possesses nearly three decades of experience as a coordinator. He held the same position at UMass, Western Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, Minnesota, Auburn, Penn State, Appalachian State, Vanderbilt and, most recently, Oklahoma. He and Malzahn were the top assistants on Gene Chizik's staff as Auburn won the national title in 2011.
Stopping the run is Roof's top priority this fall, and UCF overhauled its linebacker group as starters Jason Johnson and Walter Yates graduated. Deshawn Pace (Cincinnati), Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt), Jesiah Pierre (Texas Tech) and Xe'Ree Alexander (Idaho) were brought in to compete for the open slots in the Knights' 4-2-5 scheme.
The return of UCF's top four defensive tackles — Ricky Barber, Lee Hunter, John Walker and Matthew Alexander — should help significantly as well. Hunter was among the top tacklers in the country for interior defenders, per Pro Football Focus.
Will there be an open competition among placekickers?
Malzahn heaped plenty of praise on Colton Boomer last September following a 4-for-4 outing against Boise State in which he set a new career-high (55 yards) and split the uprights with a 40-yard game-winner as time expired. To that point in his college career, the Lake Mary native was 18 for 19 on field goal attempts.
But Boomer went into an inexplicable slump once Big 12 play began. He made 7 of 15 field goal attempts across UCF's final nine games, including a 2-for-6 closing stretch, and clanked a potential game-tying PAT attempt at Texas Tech.
In the spring, Boomer told reporters he dealt with pain throughout the season — using Advil and Tylenol to push through a 3-for-3 kicking day at Oklahoma — and sought the help of a sports psychologist to overcome mental adversity.
Malzahn stuck by Boomer in spite of all the misses, but UCF has another hometown scholarship kicker waiting in the wings in redshirt freshman Grant Reddick. Kohl's Kicking ranked Reddick as the No. 1 placekicking prospect in the country among the 2023 class, but he has yet to attempt a field goal or PAT at the college level.
