UCF Baseball Coach Rich Wallace sat down with Trace Trylko on the one year anniversary of his hire at UCF. And what a year it was, as UCF made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, and made the final series in the Regional with wins over Alabama and Stetson.

Wallace and the Knights also had some success in year one of the Big 12, finishing with a 37-21 overall, including 14 wins in conference. Coming into the offseason, Wallace will look to continue to bolster his 2025 roster and fill gaps from departing players.

Click here for more from the Sons of UCF.

Login to view embedded media

Big 12 commish Brett Yormark on competing with Big Ten and SEC, adding Arizona, going national​

I had the honor of participating in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, what these men and women did 80 years is still astounding. The fact that some of these veterans made the trip over here, most approaching or surpassing the century mark, is just further testament to their badassery.

Still the largest amphibious operation in history, and a lynchpin study in how coalition alliances can and must work together to defeat evil.

Also go watch Masters of the Air. Now.

…. Maybe thinking to get some stock. 😜

Filed for chapter 11

Should XII sell out?

Happy Friday everyone. I'll just drop this here, however unlikely it is.

Login to view embedded media

Episode 260 of the Sons of UCF Podcast featured an interview with former UCF WR Stephen Martin. A local kid who grew up going to UCF games, Stephen realized a dream of playing for his hometown team when he walked on in 2020. After battling injuries early, Stephen started making a name on the practice squad before finally seeing the field in 2021.

Widely considered a coach on the field, Stephen relentlessly studied his craft and always looked for ways to make plays, even if they didn't show in the box score. His most memorable play was a 4 yard TD catch from Knights running back Isaiah Bowser at Memphis in 2022.

Stephen also shares some great stories about some of his teammates, including John Rhys Plumlee, Divaad Wilson, and Paul Rubelt.

Thanks for clicking here and enjoy.

Login to view embedded media

There are several new weapons for the 2024 UCF Knights offense, including veteran running back Myles Montgomery. The Jacksonville native spent the first part of his career at Cincinnati, but he is excited to be back and Florida and involved at UCF.

As Myles told Sons of UCF reporter Trace Trylko, he loves the explosive and fast UCF offense.

Click here for more.

Login to view embedded media

I am going to be north of 55 this year and you start to appreciate the days a bit more I think. Time is flying by. When I look back at my UCF journey it started out as something kind of utilitarian. For me UCF was a decent local college growing up, so I applied. In the fall of 86 I was a freshman and since my sister got us free tickets to see UCF play football back when I was in middle and high school I was sort of already primed to go to games.

I wasn't a party kid and didn't have extra money for being Greek. I did have an UCF student ID with my photo on it along with my social security number . 😆 and, that my friends got you into sporting events for free!

Football in particular was something for me as a connection to my school and to hang out with friends. It was a source of pride. Then it turned into an addiction. The kind where
your Sundays were in ruin over a loss and the only way to wash that off was a win next Saturday. Then and only then would all be right in the world. Many here know the feeling. I am thankful the Sunday blues are behind me now after a loss.

Culturally we are pushed into college I think and it's not necessarily a bad thing. We always here you gotta to college. It's of course to get a degree, but the push is there to do something after high school. So, we pick a school.

Deep down we as a species survived by and through tribalism. The modern world does what it can to eliminate tribal behavior, except for sports. It's us versus them in sports and colleges feed on the tribal instincts of the soul. UCF is no different and it's my tribe. It's couched as UCFamily or Knight Nation ,but it feeds the ancient DNA in us all to be part of a group.

I raised my kids on UCF sports . When I lived in Orange City we would go to every home football game , take in some basketball and baseball. It was a way to spend some quality time with the fam.

Now, it's truly special. My youngest is an UCF student and Marching Knight . Going to football games is coming full circle for me. My son is becoming a man, carving his own way in this world and in some ways walking in my footsteps while making his own.

I know many here have kids going to more prestigious universities. You should be proud. I gotta say tbough there is something special when your kids say, I want to go to UCF and being an alum yourself. It's great seeing them wear the black and gold be it in athletics or in the MKs.

For me, football is a connection. It's a connection to my past, memories with my friends and in particular my family. It's a connection to the present. There is a connection to the brick and mortar of UCF itself, but it's truly about connecting to people. It's connecting to yall here. I have met many of you through this forum especially those who visit the Smokies. UCF athletics is connection. I attend because the time spent making connections improves the quality of our lives . Its the laginap of life, a little extra something as they say in New Orleans. My son and I are close and our love of UCF sports is something that binds us. It's truly an awesome connection. The older I get the more I savor these times.
Go Knights and Charge on!

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

One of the top local recruits to watch in the Class of 2025 is Connor Howes, an offensive tackle from St. Cloud High School.

Howes has been on UCF's radar since last summer when a camp visit earned the 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle a scholarship offer.

"I went to a couple camps at UCF last June," Howes said. "I performed really well at the padded camp. I won all my reps and made Final Five (top offensive linemen camp award). Afterward, I was with my head coach talking to Coach (Herb) Hand and that's when he said, 'We would like to offer you a full ride scholarship.'"

That was actually his second UCF camp of the summer. Hand suggested some technique improvements during his first camp.

"Coach Hand said he likes the fact I'm very coachable," Howes said. "He told me what I needed to fix and in two days it was fixed. I went home and trained. He likes my size. I'm very developmental and he likes my personality. There's two sides of me. There's on-the-field Connor and off-the-field Connor. He likes my physicality and just being able to run someone over, then stay passive on the pass blocking and waiting for them to come to me."

Howes was a frequent visitor for UCF's home games last season and he was back again last week to attend Friday Knight Lights.

"I got there and talked to Coach Hand for a little bit and then went on the field to talk to more coaches," Howes said. "I hung out with some of the other recruits. We all had a good time. We ate some food from Mission BBQ which was really good. After that, we watched a video about the background of UCF and Coach Gus Malzahn. We did a photo shoot and laser tag, which was real cool."

He was on a laser tag team with UCF running back commit Taevion Swint.

"That was a blast," Howes said. "They turned the lights down and had it set up towards the end zone. They had dummy targets and other obstacles to hide behind. It was capture the flag style."

Swint now plays for rival Osceola, but they were once teammates.

"We played together with the Osceola Panthers and won a 14-under state championship," Howes said. "In high school he went to Osceola and I went to St. Cloud. He's always wanted me to come to Osceola, but my house is four minutes down the road and I've built a real bond here."

As for recruiting, Howes likes UCF a lot.

"It feels like home," Howes said. "It's hard to describe. It's an unreal feeling. It's like walking into my house. Everyone is so welcoming. All the coaches are willing to have conversations with you. And then going to the games. The fans are great. No matter if they're winning or losing, the fans are always involved. They aren't leaving early. The fans travel real well. The atmosphere is great. It's also just 45 minutes away."

Herb Hand is also a big reason why UCF stands out.

"I talk with a lot of o-line coaches and trainers and they'll tell you (Hand) is one of the top guys," Howes said. "You can tell just watching their offensive line. Offensively, they were among the leaders in rushing yards. You can say that's because of RJ Harvey, but it starts up front. You can't get yards without the line creating the holes. I like the way he coaches and how he runs his stuff."

Howes, who also has offers from FAU and Charlotte, says he'll definitely return to UCF later in the spring.

Login to view embedded media

I know some of you have kids in travel ball and little league, so I wanted to share some info and possibly pool together some community support.

Dicks Sporting Goods and GameChanger are giving away some prizes to teams that collect new fans during the month of June.

150 fans: GC Streaming Kit
250 fans: Mevo Camera
500 fans: $1000 DSG Gift Card

Thought maybe with enough parents in here using GameChanger for their kids teams we could help each other out. If you want your team to be included, I can use this first post to keep a running tally of everyone’s teams and hopefully dungeon members can join as fans for the summer (then unfollow once the giveaway is over).

Teams:

LMLL 10U All Stars (https://web.gc.com/teams/sH8DuUkR2Ag0)

Thanks in advance!

ETA: It sure reads like every team that hits those numbers gets a prize and not entered into a drawing for that prize.

Thoughts @kartfast ?

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

The Sons of UCF Podcast was joined by former UCF Running Back Coach Ryan Held (2016-17) to discuss his time with the Knights. Coach Held came to UCF as part of Scott Frost's staff, and immediately began to change the running back room by adding talented speedster Adrian Killins and the dynamic Juwon Hamilton. After a year of learning in 2016, the Knights turned in a historic season in 2017, going undefeated and winning the Peach Bowl. The 2017 team also featured a talented new face in Freshman Otis Anderson, who combined with Killins and Quarterback McKenzie Milton, formed a lethal running attack.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and Coach Held and the staff left UCF and moved on to Nebraska. After several uneven years with the Cornhuskers, Coach Held has moved on again and is now a Head Coach at Nebraska-Kerney. However, after all of these years Coach Held looks back at the decision to leave, and wonders what could have been.

Click here to watch.

Login to view embedded media

I have heard that Lovelady is no longer in the running, which obviously jives with this.

Login to view embedded media

Ranking Big 12 football quarterbacks for 2024: Shedeur Sanders, Noah Fifita lead the pack​

Scott Procter, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Fri, Jun 14, 2024, 8:18 AM EDT·8 min read
Link: https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-big-12-football-quarterbacks-121820145.html

‘He's a dog’: Jaguars WR Gabe Davis brings leadership, experience to young receiver room​

Story by Juston Lewis, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
• 1d • 5 min read
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ot...experience-to-young-receiver-room/ar-BB1o8WNI

On this week's Sons of UCF LIVE: We talk with Brice Larson from ESPN 960 AM about BYU and Utah Football. Then, UCF Baseball's Keano Suarez joins us to recap a season that included his Senior Day on-field marriage proposal.

Check it out here!

Login to view embedded media

On this week's Sons of UCF LIVE: We talk with Brice Larson from ESPN 960 AM about BYU and Utah Football. Then, UCF Baseball's Keano Suarez joins us to recap a season that included his Senior Day on-field marriage proposal.

Check it out here!

Login to view embedded media

per Andy Staples.

CEILING: Compete for Big 12 Championship/College Football Playoff​