Central Florida running back RJ Harvey (7) runs for yards against Houston defensive back Adari Haulcy (24) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Orlando, Florida (KeynoteUSA Photo / Phelan M. Ebenhack)
From time to time, the Central Florida football team makes a lot of noise on the national level.
The Knights went 12-1 in 2013 and won the Fiesta Bowl. They went 13-0 in 2017, won the Peach Bowl and became national champions (they finished No. 6 in the final KeynoteUSA poll). And in 2018, they went 12-1, losing only in the Fiesta Bowl.
Perhaps overlooked nationally is how stable UCF’s program has been over the years. The Knights may not always be among the elite, but they have typically been a tough team to beat and should be again this year.
This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season, and in this installment we look at UCF, which will host the Buffaloes in Orlando on September 28.
A year ago, UCF (6-7, 3-6 Big 12 Conference) made the jump from the American Athletic Conference and had some struggles, including a five-game losing streak midseason, but still landed in Gasparilla. Bowl. It was the eighth consecutive bowl appearance for UCF.
Head coach Gus Malzahn enters his fourth season in Orlando and has made many changes designed to help the Knights compete in the Big 12.
“I really like our roster and I like our chances,” Malzahn said this spring in an interview with Josh Pate on the Late Kick podcast. “The sky is the limit for this place and it feels really great to be the head coach here.”
UCF returns six starters from an offense that averaged 31.3 points last year, but it will look different. Former Arkansas starting quarterback KJ Jefferson is now with the Knights and is a talented dual threat.
“KJ has played a lot of football,” Malzahn said late spring. “He understands things. The game is not too fast, he is calm under pressure.”
A year ago, there were eight 1,400-yard rushers in the nation and UCF has two of them this year. RJ Harvey (1,416 yards) starred at UCF, while transfer Peny Boone (1,400 yards) dominated at Toledo.
Kobe Hudson returns at receiver, but that group is revamped overall. Hudson sat out spring practices, but that allowed Jefferson to get to know the rest of the group.
Defensively, the Knights weren’t bad in 2023, but they weren’t great either. They allowed 25.8 points (61st nationally) and 391.0 yards (83rd). Where they struggled was against the run, allowing 194.3 yards per game (ranked 125th).
Five starters are back, but Malzahn prioritized improving the defense. He hired Ted Roof as coordinator and landed several starting-caliber players in the transfer portal.
“We have some playmakers on defense,” he said in the spring. “Obviously we didn’t stop the race very well. That has been the focus of our defense. …This aggressive, attacking style, they’re flying, they’re having fun. The veterans we brought in have played a lot of football. It is a safe defense.”
In general, it is a safe program. The Knights don’t project as a top contender in the Big 12, but they could be asleep. The schedule is also good, with three of the conference’s key games (CU, Arizona and Utah) being played in Orlando.
Central Florida head coach Gus Malzahn works from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Houston, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (KeynoteUSA Photo/Phelan M .
Central Florida Knights
Coach: Gus Malzahn, fourth season (24-16; 101-54 career)
2023 season: 6-7, 3-6 12 grand; Lost to Georgia Tech in Gasparilla Bowl, 30-17
Series with CU: This will be the first meeting
The game
WHO: Colorado Buffaloes at UCF Knights
When: Saturday, September 28, time to be confirmed
Where: FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
5 guys to follow
RB RJ Harvey: He rushed for 1,416 yards last year and his 108.9 yards per game ranked 10th nationally. Only five players have scored more rushing touchdowns than his 16th. Over the past two seasons, he has gained 2,212 yards on the ground with an average of 6.43 yards per carry.
WR Kobe Hudson: He is coming off the best year of his career, having caught 44 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns last year. A fifth-year senior who played his first two seasons at Auburn, he caught 134 passes for 2,191 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.
DT Lee Hunter: The 320-pounder is a fourth-year junior who made his first start last year. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors after recording 69 tackles (third on the team), 11 tackles for loss (second) and three sacks (tied for third). He could be one of the best D-linemen in the Big 12 this year.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson: A starter at Arkansas for the past three seasons, Jefferson is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Last year, he threw for 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 447 yards and two scores. He was even better the previous two years. Over the last three years combined, he threw for 7,431 yards and 64 touchdowns (with 17 interceptions), while rushing for 1,751 yards and 17 touchdowns.
FROM Malachi Lawrence: After playing sparingly during his first two years at UCF, he let loose last year. Appearing in all 13 games, he was second on the team in sacks (7.5) and third in tackles for loss (10.5). He had 27 tackles and six QB hurries and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) drops back to pass against Florida International during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Fayetteville, Arkansas (KeynoteUSA Photo/Michael Woods).
Good to know
• This will be Malzahn’s 14th season as coach. He has led his teams to bowl games in each of his first 13 seasons as head coach (Arkansas State in 2012, Auburn from 2013-2020 and UCF from 2021-23). Last year was his first losing season as a head coach.
• Over the past seven years, UCF is 39-6 at home, including 4-2 last year. Five of those six losses came by one score. Four times in that stretch the Knights went undefeated at home.
• This year, seven of UCF’s 12 games are at home and another is in Florida, leaving the Knights outside their home state just four times.
• In January, UCF hired Ted Roof as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach. He spent the previous two seasons as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma but was fired in January. Before this year, he was a coordinator for 23 seasons at 11 different schools, including two seasons (three years and five years) at Georgia Tech, his alma mater. Addison Williams, the Knights’ defensive coordinator last year, is now associate head coach and co-coordinator.
• The Knights also hired a new offensive coordinator in Tim Harris Jr. He coached running backs at Miami in 2023 after serving as UCF’s co-offensive coordinator in 2021-22. Last year’s coordinator, Darin Hinshaw, remains on staff as co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
• The Knights return two full-time starters and one part-time starter to the offensive line. Marcellus Marshall made 11 starts last year at three different positions: left guard, right guard and right tackle. Amari Kight started the last 10 games at right tackle. And Adrian Medley started five times at left guard.
• Overall, UCF has six starters on offense and five on defense. The Knights also return kicker Colton Boomer (13 of 21 on field goals, 48 of 50 on extra points) and punter Mitch McCarthy (41.3 yards per punt, nine inside the opponents’ 20-yard line).
Portal movement
UCF has been one of the most active teams in the portal this offseason, losing 27 players and bringing back 27 (tied for eighth in the country). Most of the players lost were backups, but the Knights lost starting cornerback Corey Thornton (Louisville) and starting safety Nikai Martinez (Michigan State), as well as starting defensive end Josh Celiscar (Texas A&M). Part-time starting offensive lineman Drake Metcalf (Virginia) and backup quarterback Timmy McClain (Arkansas State) are also gone. The biggest incoming transfer is Jefferson, who takes over as starting quarterback, but running back Peny Boone (Toledo) was a big addition. The 242-pound running back was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year last year after rushing for 1,400 yards and 15 TDs. He spent the spring at Louisville before jumping to UCF. Experienced starters on defense include linebackers Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt) and Jesiah Pierre (Texas Tech), linebacker/safety Deshawn Pace (Cincinnati), safety Bryon Threats (Cincinnati) and cornerback Ladarius Tennison (Mississippi). Guard Keegan Smith (Central Michigan), tackle Wes Dorsey (Western Kentucky), receivers Ja’Varrius Johnson (Auburn) and Jacoby Jones (Ohio) and cornerback Mac McWilliams (UAB) could also battle for starting jobs, while that safety Sheldon Arnold II (East Tennessee State) was an FCS All-American.
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