Man, maybe I am getting older and grumpier, maybe the world is flooded with so much disinformation that I can no longer tell what is a joke and what is not, but April Fools day just seems less interesting than in years past.

On the first day of 2024 UCF Spring Football practice, new Knights QB KJ Jefferson spoke with Trace Trylko about his first 3 months in Orlando. KJ has been prioritizing learning - both the playbook and his new teammates. With a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball, KJ is excited about what the offense could look like in 2024.

Click here to watch.

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Quadric Bullard, a defensive mainstay at UCF since his arrival in 2020, will play his fifth and final season this fall. We caught up with him following Tuesday's practice.

How is Ted Roof's defense different?

"The biggest difference is the pressure," Bullard said. "There's a lot more pressure on quarterbacks which leads to DBs capitalizing on interceptions. I'm liking the defense a lot."

Bullard said last Saturday's first scrimmage was "decent overall" but "not where we want it to be."

With no news organizations sharing anything significant about UCF football--I guess they decided to stop covering it since they don't have a roster--I figured I would weigh in with an update of my own.

Bolded names indicate projected starters.

One wide receiver spot is up for grabs.

With Kobi Hudson out for the time being, Chauncey Magwood and Bredell Richardson are splitting time at X. Goldie Lawrence, along with Trent Whittemore (for the time being) is playing the Z spot. Tyree Patterson appears to have slipped a little on the depth chart. Xavier Townsend and Jarrad Baker Jr. are manning the slot.

EDIT: Hudson, Magwood, and Richardson will be at X. Whittemore and Baker Jr. will battle for the slot. Townsend and Patterson will man Z.

Two offensive line spots remain undecided.

Amari Kight is the starting left tackle. His backup is anybody's guess. Adrian Medley and Cameron Kinnie are solid at left guard. Caden Kitler has locked up the center position. Waitclaire Flynn Jr. is trending toward being his reserve.

The right side of the offensive line is sketchy.
Marcellus Marshall is a definite starter either at RG or RT. Herb Hand has to determine who is the best fifth option among Jabari Brooks, Johnathan Cline, Paul Rubelt, Wes Dorsey, and Keyon Cox. None of the five guys have been rolled out to the media (which is very telling.)

Update: Rubelt, as of today, is the leading candidate to be the fifth starter.

The backfield of RJ Harvey, Johnny Richardson, Myles Montgomery, and Cam Ingram and quarterbacks JK Jefferson, Timmy McClain, Dylan Rizk, and Riley Trujillo is set for the spring.

Randy Pittman is the starter at tight end, but Grant Stevens has probably made the biggest jump on the depth chart. Ethan Morris is likely destined for Zach Marsh Wojan duties as the No. 3 TE.

Defensively, both DE positions were open.

Malachi Lawrence and Kaven Call are bookends, with Daylan Dotson pushing Call for Tre'Mon Morris-Brash's position. Jamaal Johnson is backing up Lawrence. Isiah Nixon is struggling at buck. Andrew Rumph is getting reps at strongside defensive end. Walk on Finau Fine will also get reps at SDE.

UCF may have the best interior defensive linemen in the Big 12, with Lee Hunter as the crown jewel. He will soon draw comparisons to Nick Fairley dangerous man. Ricky Barber is at Hunter's side. John Walker, Matthew Alexander, and Derrick LeBlanc round out the bunch who play.

Both linebacker positions were vacated.

MIke is manned by Great White Hope Ethan Barr, the only Caucasian on the defensive depth chart. His backup is Jesiah Pierre, Cam Vining, Kam Moore, and Troy Ford, Jr. Deshawn Pace is penciled at Will LB. Xe’ree Alexander and Andrew Harris are the backups. Ladarius Tennison, Quadric Bullard, and Braeden Marshall play the Knight LB/slot cornerback position.

Three positions are open in the defensive backfield.

Chosen Johnson and Brandon Adams are likely starters at cornerback. Antione Jackson is the top backup at both positions for the time being. Ja'Cari Henderson will return to the mix when Healthy. Nikia Martinez reprises his role as free safety. William Wells is his backup. Bryon Threats will start at strong safety. Demari Henderson will be his backup.

That's all I have, but more than you get from beat writers.

Updates: Hudson Gibbs is still on the team. Uncertain about Rian Davis.

Knights crack Top 25 after series win over Texas Tech​

For the first time since 2020, the UCF Knights Baseball team is ranked! Slotting in at 25th on D1Baseball’s list and 20thon Perfect Game’s top 25, the Knights have rolled the momentum of the last three weeks into the rankings.

Click here for more from Michael Theed about the week that was and the week ahead for UCF Baseball ... from the Sons of UCF.

Knights crack Top 25 after series win over Texas Tech​

For the first time since 2020, the UCF Knights Baseball team is ranked! Slotting in at 25th on D1Baseball’s list and 20thon Perfect Game’s top 25, the Knights have rolled the momentum of the last three weeks into the rankings.

Click here for more from Michael Theed about the week that was and the week ahead for UCF Baseball ... from the Sons of UCF.

Does anyone have a good pool service in the Winter Springs/Casselberry area that you can recommend?

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Take notes for next time, Lovelady.

I know I'm late to the game, but anyone else jumping on this craze? Kind of fun!

Wordle 221 4/6

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More like UCF “Knight” at the Trop. First pitch is at 6:50pm vs the Kansas City Royals. In years past, its been a Sunday afternoon game.

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Ucfday


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Apparently a writer at the WAPO has been working on a story on her for a couple years now and it's going to get published soon. It got the LSU administration spooked and they had her come out to try and get in front of the article.

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Messer was on her staff for a long time and one of her top assistants. Think this is worth watching as her name very well may come up in the story.

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Love when news breaks during the 4 am hour.

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Grant Stevens is finally ready to shine.

The Class of 2022 tight end signee from Nease High School spent his first two seasons at UCF on the injury list, but now he's full strength and in line to be a big contributor on both offense and special teams.

"I'm extremely excited," Stevens said. "Coming in I hurt my shoulder and then last year around the Fourth of July I had a freak accident at home that put me out for the year. I was really bummed about that, but me and my family prayed about it. Mary (Vander Heiden), Miss Sheila (Klausner) and the health staff have done a great job rehabbing me and getting my body back so I can play again. I'm really excited to be able to play."

The injury last summer certainly was a "freak accident." At home for an Independence Day gathering with family and friends, Stevens was placing a punch bowl into the refrigerator when it slipped out of his hands. A large shard of glass punctured his bare foot, slicing through tendons and a nerve.

"It was bad," Stevens said. "Thank God my mom is in the medical field. She knew what to do until the ambulance got there."



Stevens wasn't cleared for full participation until after the 2023 season had concluded.

"People think the biggest thing about injuries is the physical part, but it's 95 percent mental," Stevens said. "You have to stay into it, keep going to rehab and believe that you can come back as good or better than you were before. Trusting Mary, Sheila, Fred (Donnell), Ed (Woodley) and Kyle (Flora) for getting me back right now. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me."

Stevens has also really appreciated his position coach, Brian Blackmon.

"He's awesome," Stevens said. "I couldn't have asked for anybody better. He's a great man of faith too. He was always telling me to keep on praying about it, we serve a great God, he believed in me to come back. Some places would have forgotten about me, Blackmon never did that. I'm super thankful for him. Amazing guy."

UCF will have a new-look tight end room this year. Alec Holler and Zach Marsh-Wojan have moved on, leaving Randy Pittman, Stevens and Jordan Davis as the returning players. Newcomers this spring include Evan Morris (Michigan State transfer), Reece Adkins (Eastern Kentucky transfer) and Kylan Fox (high school signee).

"I think we're a lot more versatile this year," Stevens said. "You guys know about Randy. He can run, block and catch. I think we have a lot of guys that can do that."

Has anyone heard any rumored spring game dates? I looked it up and the last three years we have had it on 4/10, 4/14, and 4/16. I loved having at night last year and hoping they do it on Saturday night this year. I think it would draw the largest crowd in years.

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Brandon Adams has his eyes set on a big senior season.

A starter at cornerback since his freshman year in 2021, Adams has logged more games at UCF (39) than any other player on defense. The Georgia native finished 2023 with 21 tackles, four pass breakups and two QB hurries.

"I feel good about my game," Adams said. "I'm so confident right now. I don't care who you are and where you came from, you step in front of me, you're going to have a long day."

We caught up with Adams following a recent spring practice.

What differences is he seeing this spring with Ted Roof's new defense?

"We're more aggressive," Adams said. "Like Coach says, we're gonna stop the run. That's his top priority. That's what everybody is working on. Stopping the run."

How does he like working new cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed?

"Coach Reed, he's a guy that can relate to us," Adams said. "He played at the college level and pro level. That's everybody's goal, dreams and aspiration. He's a cool dude. He comes to work. Stays on you. He coaches and loves you hard. Same with Addi (Addison Williams). I've been with Addi longer than Reed. Addi does a great job. I'm happy to be here and keep playing."

Asked about the transfers in the secondary, Adams really likes Ladarius Tennison.

"Tennison from Ole Miss and Braeden Marshall are doing a hell of a job at nickel," Adams said. "Now it's just time for them to work on their coverage techniques and stuff like that. Them coming downhill on run blitzes and run fits, they're doing an amazing job. (Bryon) Threats too. Threats has got to learn (the defense), it's new to everybody. It's not the same defense as last year so everybody is still learning it."

I’m trying to lose some lbs. So I joined WW. I’m doing OK on it so far, but that is not what the post is about.

I got an email from WW saying they are discontinuing a lot of the features on their web version and they will only be offered on their App.

This is not a problem for me since I use my phone anyway. But it just made me think about how much things have changed in a very short time.

I wonder how many older people will just end their subscriptions to WW because they either don’t have a smart phone or don’t want to learn to use the App.

It was not very long ago where the entire internet did not exist and now basically even laptops are rapidly getting replaced with smartphones for most day to day things.

But it is amazing how quickly Tech has changed. I’m not that old and still remember watching Black and White TV with 3 channels and Rabbit Ears.

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UCF DE Malachi Lawrence talks about how his defense did during the Knights' first scrimmage of spring.

Malachi said the defense won the scrimmage. He said the first team only scored one touchdown against the first team defense.

Describing one of the best defensive highlights, Malachi said Ladarius Tennison had a big hit on RJ.

Malachi Lawrence was going head-to-head with Amari Kight.

Malachi said Lee Hunter is having a really good spring. "Watch out for another big season from him."

He also name-dropped Daylan Dotson, Matthew Alexander and Andrew Rumph as having a good spring so far.

Malachi thinks they had five sacks during the scrimmage - Andrew Rumph, Daylan Dotson, Derrick LeBlanc and Ethan Barr had four of the five.

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UCF scrimmaged for the first time of spring practice on Saturday, March 30. Sophomore cornerback Braeden Marshall of Lake Mary reflects on the day as well as how he's feeling going into his second year at UCF.

Marshall is feeling much more comfortable going into his second season at UCF.

Asked about Hometown Heroes, Marshall talked about the "dogs" that reside in this area.

Ted Roof's defense is aggressive, which puts pressure on the QB and forces mistakes. He said they will utilize a "bear" front which will help stop the run.

Asked about top scrimmage performers, Marshall mentioned freshman safety Christian Peterson. Also complimented freshman CB Chasen Johnson.

He's competing at nickel with Ladarius Tennison. He says Tennison is very physical.

Huge market up there and their hoops team is unreal. We add uwcf for balance and rekindle the blind hate bowl. Huge market, AAU. It’s not an instant return, just 2 teams for value down the line! Happy Easter to all!







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UCF was back in the Bounce House on Saturday for their first scrimmage of spring. All in all, a very successful day according to head coach Gus Malzahn.

"It was close to 100 plays," Malzahn said. "We had the emphasis on trying to throw the ball vertically and playing fast. We rotated everybody. Everybody got a chance to play, all three groups. Defense did a really good job stopping the run. That was an emphasis this spring.

"Offense made some explosive plays down the field. Had a few touchdowns, which was really good. Watching those receivers do their thing. Overall, no serious injuries. That's real important. We did some special teams in the middle, live punt/punt return reps. That's good for the new guys, just making sure and confirming everything. We did some live field goal at the beginning.

"Overall, the energy was really good. I let the quarterbacks, all but KJ (Jefferson) go live. There's nothing like that. KJ is a veteran and has played a lot of football and all that. The other guys did a good job. I think the defense had two or three turnovers which is always good. Overall, I think it was a really good scrimmage with the defense doing some good things and the offense doing some good things. I'm not going to say either side really won. It was just a good overall evaluation scrimmage."

Saturday was also the first opportunity for transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson to play wit his new teammates in a competitive environment.

"He's got really good command of the offense," Malzahn said. "The game is slow for him. He knows. There's nothing like getting out there with the coaches on the sideline, taking charge of an offense with the communication. He did a really good job with that. Did a really good job moving and directing the offense."

UCF rotated the other quarterbacks among the other teams.

"They've done a really good job," Malzahn said. "Timmy (McClain) and Dylan (Rizk), you can tell they're a step ahead from where they were last year. Letting them play football today was really good. It'll be really good competition. Riley (Trujillo) got a chance to play significant time (today) really for the first time all spring. He did some good things too. It was good for him to get out there and experience what it feels like."

Malzahn was impressed with the defensive line and linebackers.

"Running back wise, we held RJ Harvey," Malzahn said. "He was limited for the most part. Not because of anything other than being wise. I thought the defensive line did a really good job. Our linebackers did a really good job vs. the run. There was some really good timing with the blitzes. They disrupted a lot of things up front in the run game."

With RJ Harvey seeing less reps, that afforded more opportunity for the other running backs including Johnny Richardson and newcomer Myles Montgomery, who is a transfer from Cincinnati.

"Johnny is Johnny," Malzahn said. "He's a real running back. Everybody knows that. Myles is a very physical guy. You can tell he's a veteran. He's real competitive. He made a couple really good north/south runs, finished some runs which is really good. Kam Ingram, he got some good work today with the twos. I think he even got in there once with the ones. He's been coming on and doing a good job."

With the influx of experienced transfers on the defensive side, Malzahn says you can certainly feel the veteran leadership.

"You can sense it when you're over there," Malzahn said. "Experience, confidence... There's some playmakers over there too."

With Javon Baker moving on to the NFL and UCF opting to rest Kobe Hudson, the other wide receivers will have ample chances to impress. Malzahn liked what he saw today from Xavier Townsend.

"X pulled his hamstring before spring practice, so he's been coming back," Malzahn said. "He did a really good job today with a couple explosive pass plays. He's not 100 percent, but he's a guy we can move around and do some things with. He had a good day."

Asked about standout plays within the scrimmage, Malzahn liked the multiple sacks on the quarterback. Offensively, there were several explosive touchdown passes. The defense also disrupted the run game.

"Each quarterback did a few good things with touchdown passes," Malzahn said.

The next scrimmage is scheduled for next Saturday.