I have no idea if this is accurate and don’t care enough to verify, but interesting. Reportedly does not include NIL.

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I've watched the Magic 30 for 30 before, but this is the first time I've watched the Nick Anderson free throw misses since it happened back when I was middle school. It's still tough to watch.

So I decided to list the most soul crushing defeats of all time for me.

1990 NFC Championship game. Roger Craig fumbles and the Giants win with the fifth FG of the day. Considering the genius defense Bill Belechek used to beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl ( and Montana was hurt in the NFC Championship game ), SF might not won anyway.

1995 NBA Finals, Nick Anderson free thows.

2018 Fiesta Bowl. The Knights were right there against a team that the next year became maybe one of the greatest CFB teams ever. With a backup QB that was not recruited to play in that offensive system.

1999 UGA phantom pass interference game. Still bullshit.

2019 Duke. I still haven't rewatched that game one bit.

1999 NFC Championship game, the Bert Emmanuel non catch. I ran out of the apartment I was so mad when that catch got overturned in replay.

What are your most crushing losses?

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Every school in the country wanted to sign John Walker out of Osceola High School in the Class of 2023, but the defensive tackle stayed in Orlando to be a Hometown Hero.

Learning the ropes behind Ricky Barber and Lee Hunter, Walker earned immediate playing time as a freshman and would go on to earn Freshman All-American honors.

We caught up with Walker following a recent spring practice.

He called his freshman season a "learning experience" going up against higher-level players.

The first Big 12 game at Kansas State was when it really hit him. "I really like dang, I play in the Big 12. That when it really struck me."

The goal this year is to improve from last year. Work on the little things, like his get off and hand placement.

Walker says it's cool playing with fellow Hometown Heroes, like Kaven Call, Nikai Martinez and Braeden Marshall.

His favorite moment from last year was playing in great atmospheres. He started feel more comfortable towards the end of the season.

Walker and Derrick LeBlanc have been friends since elementary school and they played on the same DL at Osceola. LeBlanc initially went to Oklahoma, but transferred to UCF last summer and will be eligible to play this fall. He's excited to play with him again.

His goals this year are to win the Big 12 Championship. Personally, he wants to be an All-American again.

He now weighs 299 pounds and is trying to get to 305.

Asked about this year's schedule, Walker says he was a Florida fan growing up so it'll be cool to play them in that atmosphere. He got rid of his UF gear when he committed to UCF. He was asked about UF fans being upset that he went to UCF, but he acknowledged he was more irritated by Ohio State fans who said his mom made the decision for him. He didn't recall much hate from UF fans.

He's been impressed with freshman CB Chasen Johnson. He's also impressed with center Waltclaire Flynn, who asked to workout with Walker prior to spring practice to get accustomed going up against DTs. "You can tell he really wants it."

I know this is an insignificant Twitter poll, but please help out over the next few weeks as we move him through the bracket.

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Saturday, March 23 (Round of 32)

• (2) Arizona vs. (7) Dayton | 12:45 p.m. | CBS
• (4) Kansas vs. (5) Gonzaga | 3:15 p.m. | CBS
• (1) North Carolina vs. (9) Michigan State | 5:30 p.m. | CBS
• (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Washington State | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• (11) NC State vs. (14) Oakland | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• (2) Tennessee vs. (7) Texas | 8 p.m. | CBS
• (3) Illinois vs. (11) Duquesne | 8:40 p.m. | TNT
• (3) Creighton vs. (11) Oregon | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Sunday, March 24 (Round of 32)

• (2) Marquette vs. (10) Colorado | 12:10 p.m. | CBS
• (1) Purdue vs. (8) Utah State | 2:40 p.m. | CBS
• (4) Duke vs. (12) James Madison | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
• (3) Baylor vs. (6) Clemson | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• (4) Alabama vs. (12) Grand Canyon | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• (1) UConn vs. (9) Northwestern | 7:45 p.m. | truTV
• (1) Houston vs. (9) Texas A&M | 8:40 p.m. | TNT
• (5) San Diego State vs. (13) Yale | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

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Marcellus Marshall played a major role during his first season at UCF.

The former All-MAC transfer from Kent State was willing and ready to play anywhere offensive line coach Herb Hand asked of him. Initially, that was right tackle. Then it was guard, first on the left side before finishing the season on the right.

We caught up him after a recent spring practice.

What was his biggest takeaway from his first season at UCF? The family atmosphere. As for playing multiple positions, it was all about doing whatever it takes for the team to win.

What do they need to do in the second year of Big 12 play? Play four quarters of football and execute on all levels.

Position wise, the plan is for Marshall to stay in one spot (right guard) but he'll always have the versatility to move around.

He was impressed with Tylan Grable's NFL Combine forty-yard dash time.

Herb Hand is regarded as a father figure for a lot of the OL. He's always giving great advice. As a coach, he pushes them to be the best.

The goal is to win the Big 12 Championship. That's what's on everybody's mind. "I think we got the guys to do it."

As a Morgantown, WV native, Marshall gets to go home to play West Virginia this season. "At the end of the day, it's another football game. It would be cool to go back into Morgantown and win a game there, but at the end of the day we're going to win. It doesn't matter who it is."

QB KJ Jefferson is a "lead by example guy" and one of the "smartest football knowledge guys I've met on the player level." He knows defenses, the looks and reads. He's doing a great job.

Anthony Kincy, the new strength coach, has brought in a great culture. The weight room is a high-energy environment now. Kincy is very relatable and they're doing more individual instruction.

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The speed is indeed off-putting; the 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine was expected, but Baker doesn’t win with straight speed. Akin to Amon-Ra St. Brown, his ability to change speeds and use his strength and savvy help Baker mitigate the lack of blazing jets. He can win inside or outside as a No. 4/No. 5 receiver early on and has the potential for the hiccup 100-yard games every so often.

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Malachi Lawrence was UCF's breakout star of 2023.

After two years in the program (a redshirt in 2021 and minimal playing time in 2022), the defensive end showed up in a big way during the Knights' inaugural Big 12 season. Lawrence finished second on the team with 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention status.

With Tre'Mon Morris-Brash moving on, Lawrence is now viewed as UCF's top pass-rushing threat.

We caught up with him following a recent spring practice.

Lawrence said he took a lot of "mental reps" his first two years in the program that helped prepare him for breakout.

Looking back on last season, his favorite moment was his sack of Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma. He loved playing in an environment like that and how quiet the stadium got afterward. "That was pretty cool."

Big 12 offensive tackles are much bigger than the AAC, though they can prepare for it by going up in practice against Paul Rubelt.

DC Ted Roof wants the DEs to line up in a three-point stance instead of standing up, so that's a point of emphasis this spring.

Lawrence says he wants to improve as a leader, which is important with Josh Celiscar no longer in the room.

DC Ted Roof is a "funny guy." He's serious about business though. He's instilled a standard. "I like him. Pretty good coach."

Asked about not really playing his first two years, Lawrence says he did see that his opportunity would eventually come. Coach Kenny Ingram was always encouraging him. He trusted the process to keep working.

Lawrence said last season felt "amazing" knowing he was finally contributing and helping the team on the field.

A big focus is stopping the run. That comes with physicality and doing your job.

Lawrence is looking to add 10 pounds of muscle. He's 250 right now, wants to reach 260.

He thought the AAC was "nice" but the Big 12 was a different level of atmosphere with more fans. Big 12 offensive linemen are much bigger, like he said. He brought up Kansas.

The defensive transfers will definitely help. LB Ethan Barr is providing leadership as the mike.

Aside from Lawrence, the DE rotation will consist mostly of younger players or newcomers. He mentioned Kaven Call, Isaiah Nixon, Daylan Dotson (UT-Martin transfer) and Zavier Carter (UNLV transfer) as the players to watch.

The goal this season is Big 12 Championship. Win all the games. With the new playoff system, they have a path to the National Championship.

Lawrence said he grew up playing RB and CB until ninth grade, then they moved him to OLB and DL as a sophomore.

He recruiting process was different because of COVID. He only played five games as a senior and they weren't allowed to make in-person visits. He was recruiting by the previous UCF staff.

He likes to play video games. He likes to play Warzone and Modern Warfare in the Call of Duty franchise, also NBA 2K and Madden. Lee Hunter, Matthew Alexander and Daylan Dotson. Matt Alexander is probably the best - he beats him every time.

In Sir G's thread about hating Jersey , I figured I would post some things I appreciate about about my northern brethren. Contrary to some, we are not all angry.

I enjoy a good slow smoked corned beef with cabbage and onions. I use to pressure cook corned beef but its really good on the smoker . Who doesn't like a good Philly Cheesesteak ? I just had some bagels for breakfast. I love good soft pretzels too. I am a big Springsteen fan as well.

The north has a lot going for it and I know many solid Yankees. Do I have my issues with the northern attitude, sure, but there are many wonderful cultural things about the north I appreciate. I appreciate my Yankee brothers and sisters who are UCF alums carrying the banner for Knight nation. GKCO.

He was with his brother and they played through our foursome. He didn’t strike the ball that well 😂, but was in a hurry to see his son run track at UCF.

On this week's Sons of UCF LIVE, we put a bow on the 2023-24 UCF Men's Basketball season with former Knights Development Coach Ben Hazel. Plus, we welcome Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel as we talk about the upcoming week of UCF Football Spring Camp. Also: UCF Baseball, UCF Softball, your questions, What's in the Box and more on Sons of UCF LIVE!

Click here to watch.

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Join Eric Lopez and Trace Trylko as they debate some of the current topics surrounding UCF Athletics.

In this episode, the guys discuss the end of the 2023-24 men's basketball season, which came at the hands of the cows in round 1 of the NIT. Where does UCF go from here, and does this loss change the outcome of the season?

Also: What's new with football, should we expand the NCAA tournament, the new playoff revenue split, and how many brackets do you fill out?

Click here to watch ... from the Sons of UCF.

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Yesterday, in Huntsville at SAIC, I was inspecting some S-280 shelters they were considering for my program. As I looked around, I noticed the guy from SAIC sporting a Memphis key tag dangling from his pants pocket. I asked him if he was a Memphis graduate, to which he replied affirmatively, mentioning he used to play football for them as a tight end. I chuckled and mentioned my allegiance to UCF, recalling our dominance over Memphis in football for more than a decade. He laughed, acknowledging their struggles against us, reminiscing about some close games where one play made all the difference. He even shared video clips of him making impressive plays during his time at Memphis.

Reflecting on his college experience, he recounted facing tough opponents like Bruce Miller from UCF and others from SEC teams. Despite never playing at UCF due to a back injury, he vividly recalled attending a game as a true freshman, captivated by the electric atmosphere of our stadium. He joked about being overwhelmed by the cheering crowd, the metal bleachers banging, and the sight of attractive women in the stands, leading him to think he chose the wrong school. He admitted that if given the chance, he would have joined UCF in a heartbeat, expressing his admiration for our campus vibe and everything about the school.

After sharing stories, we returned to work, both impressed by the unexpected connection. He seemed like a great guy.

I promise to return later to share his name once it comes back to me.

I know this is an insignificant Twitter poll, but please help out over the next week as we move Alex through the bracket.

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