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

In this episode, the guys discuss another upset with by UCF Men's basketball, which puts them a game below .500 in conference.

How would we grade the season so far, and should we adjust our expectations?

Also: Best football road game, softball and baseball are on deck, Elo adds another job, and Super Bowl prop bets.

Click here to watch and thanks.

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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 another upset with by UCF Men's basketball, which puts them a game below .500 in conference.

How would we grade the season so far, and should we adjust our expectations?

Also: Best football road game, softball and baseball are on deck, Elo adds another job, and Super Bowl prop bets.

Click here to watch and thanks.

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Pitcher/Outfielder Sarah Willis returns for another season with UCF Softball, their first in the Big Conference. Sarah was the ace of the Knights pitching staff in 2023, leading them to a conference title. For UCF to complete in 2024, Sarah will need to continue her dominant ways in the circle.

Click here for more from Christie St. Vil for the Sons of UCF.

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Since February Signing Day no longer has relevance.

There is a press conference with Gus and media day later too.

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National Signing Day, once a staple of the first Wednesday in February, is now a December event. UCF head coach Gus Malzahn though opted to utilize this day to formally announce their transfer class that enrolled last month.

UCF's transfer class of 15 players is ranked No. 11 nationally, according to Rivals.

Malzahn ran down each of the incoming transfers, though did skip over QB KJ Jefferson because he already had a dedicated press conference with him a few weeks ago.

Here's a recap of Malzahn's press conference:

LB Xe'Ree Alexander (Idaho) - They recruited him extremely hard, he can be a big-time linebacker and he's very good on special teams.

LB Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt) - He initially committed to Washington, then came back to UCF after the coaching change there. Two-time team captain at Vandy. Very good player. Ted Roof coached Barr during his freshman year.

OL Jabari Brooks (Samford) - He has NFL potential. He can play center or guard. Herb Hand and Gus really zeroed in on him. He can really help.

DE/LB Zavier Carter (UNLV) - He's a pass rushing specialist. He can play both positions. Previously at LSU and is originally from Atlanta.

OT Wes Dorsey (WKU) - He's 6-7, 315 and started last year. Real excited about him.

DE Daylan Dotson (UT Martin) - Big South Defensive Player of the Year. Talented DE and can rush the passer.

CB Antione Jackson (ECU) - A DB they actually recruited out of high school. Knew a lot about him already. Adds depth to CB.

WR Goldie Lawrence (Florida State) - He was previously highly recruited from Sanford-Seminole. "Happy to get him back." Big, strong and fast.

RB Myles Montgomery (Cincinnati) - They've played against him the last two years so they knew a lot about him, Big and strong, great addition to RB room.

TE Evan Morris (Michigan State) - MSU did a lot of similar things that UCF does offensively, so with Alec Holler moving on he will fit right in.

S Deshawn Pace (Cincinnati) - He was an All-Big 12 honorable mention. They felt he was one of Cincinnati's best players. An impact player. A big-time cover guy and tackle. A real football player. He could have gone a lot of places.

LB Jesiah Pierre (Texas Tech) - All-Big 12 honorable mention as well. They knew a lot about him. He's a local guy from Mount Dora who originally signed with Florida.

DB Ladarius Tennison (Ole Miss) - Rockledge grad who originally went to Auburn to play for Malzahn, then later transferred to Ole Miss. One of the best special teams players in the country. He's a nickel/DB type that has NFL potential.

DB Bryon Threats (Cincinnati) - Physical and real explosive. He stood out during prior UCF-Cincinnati games.

Malzahn felt this class addressed their immediate needs. They've fit in quite well in the early going.

Improving defensive talent was a big objective. Gus felt they needed some playmakers and some experience from veterans, not just potential. They recruited leading tacklers and team captains. He feels they landed a lot of impact players.

Following their first year in the Big 12, Gus recognized it was very physical. Others may have thought it was a 7-on-7 type league, but it was totally the opposite. They had to address their tackling issues. Adding some OL to mix in with what they've got. They needed an experienced TE.

Looking at the influx of LBs, they were already thin last year and lost their starters to graduation. They needed experience to complement the younger players.

Gus stressed they're committed to building via high school players and transfer portal is more about specific needs.

RB Myles Montgomery is a great person. He breaks tackles and he's a physical runner that protects the football.

Looking at center competition in the spring, it will consist of Jabari Brooks, Caden Kitler and Waltclaire Flynn. Brooks could also play guard. All will be in the mix.

During high school recruiting, there's much a longer time to develop a relationship. Transfer portal is about making quick decisions.

On newly hired CB coach Trovon Reed, he was a top 10 player in 2010 from Louisiana. Played in two National Championship games at Auburn. Played in the NFL for a long time. "He's like family." He's a dynamic personality. Sky is the limit for him as a coach. Really good recruiter and can relate to players. Working with Addison, he'll do a great job with the corners.

Looking at the 2024 schedule, Gus says last year they were "world travelers" so he likes having eight games in the state of Florida. One real road trip to Arizona State. Real good teams. Only two teams on the schedule that they played last year (Cincinnati, West Virginia). Really good home games the fans will enjoy.

Gus is fine with the bye week placement. He likes it much better than the 2023 schedule.

Since Gus arrived, recruiting the local area was always a priority. Even if those players didn't initially sign, they knew they might want them later on in the transfer portal.

2 in Florida (Ormond Beach and NPB).

Sad that flair is slowly going away...but I can't remember the last time I was in a TGIF (maybe in Jax some 15 years ago?)

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Construction theme! These kids do their homework haha.

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This is fantastic. Red Raiders just lost at Baylor so this will be a tough one in United Supermarkets Arena but still will want to see what our boys can do in what will be the toughest road environment they’ve faced all year.



Gotta find some way for the UCF student section to sneak in tortillas for the return trip later this month. Rich tapestry of college sports! Long live the Big 12!

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This is some direct connect shit if I've ever seen it.

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Outfielder Chloe Evans returns for another season with UCF Softball, their first in the Big Conference. Chloe provided a consistent spark for the 2023 Knights team with clutch hitting and solid defense, which will be needed again in 2024 as UCF looks to compete for a postseason berth.

More here from Christie St. Vil for the Sons of UCF.

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Outfielder Chloe Evans returns for another season with UCF Softball, their first in the Big Conference. Chloe provided a consistent spark for the 2023 Knights team with clutch hitting and solid defense, which will be needed again in 2024 as UCF looks to compete for a postseason berth.

More here from Christie St. Vil for the Sons of UCF.

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Welcome to The Knighted One’s Podcast, Episode number 24. We are the ONLY podcast that features a former UCF National Champion, a former UCF radio host, and several podcasters shooting the breeze, talking UCF Sports.

This week we talk about bad omens of CFB future, Men's Basketball staking their claim on the Sooners, Unionization, Realignment and an "exciting" drinking game you all (above the age of 21) can try at home!

Please comment for subjects that we should cover in our Intern Re-Education segment!

Introductions
Text Talk: Hoops – 00:04:29
Baylor Failure & Winning Sooner Rather Than Later – 00:10:47
- Strats & Stats On The Baylor Failure
- Ben's Tall Take
- Surefire Shemari
- Can’t out – Baylor, Baylor
- Missing Pieces
- Nil and Void
- One More Thing
- Everyone Getting Into The Groove
- Strats & Stats On The Success Over The Sooners
- A Difference Maker
- Staying High and Holding Them Low
- A Locked-In Tradition
- So Many Things Going Right
- Ben Feels The Payne
- Kicking In The Door
- Respect On Our Name
- Media Shoutout
- A Whopper of a Hot Take
- Josh Is Almost Left Speechless
- Special Guests On Campus
- Are We a Tourney Team?
UCF Football Talk – 01:05:11
- Schedule Drop Breakdown
- A Backloaded Schedule
- Feel Like We Belong
- Couch Burning and White Water Rafting
- Utah: A Bigger Game Than "THEM"??
- The Star Wars On Hold For This Season
- Roger Is Excited
- Way Too Early Pre-Season Prediction?
- Gus Is Gonna Lay Down The Law
- From Diamond Mining to Being The Mine
CFB Playoff Discussion – 01:40:25
- An Alliance of EVIL
- Whose Suffrage Is It Anyway?
- Unequal Pieces of The Pie
- The Black & Gold Silver Lining
- The Numbers Mean Nothing
- The Happening
- We've Endured
- Unionization On The Horizon
Student ReEducation: The O'Leary Years And The Transition Year-- 02:00:39
Josh’s Sometimes Funny Fact Of The Week – 02:06:02
- Tortilla Terror
UCF Athletic Sports Update – 02:09:40
- Women’s Hoops smacked down by West Virginia, bests Iowa State
- Huge Weekend For Sports In Orlando
- Accounting For Hail?
Final Thoughts – 02:12:22

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#ucf,#ucffootball,#UCFsports,#TK1,#ucfhoops,#ucfwomensbasketball,#ucfvolleyball,#ucfknights

Ongoing:

Oklahoma State at No. 5 Houston (ESPN2)
No. 14 Iowa State at Texas (LHN)
No. 21 BYU at Oklahoma (ESPN+)

9 p.m.

No. 23 Texas Tech at Baylor (ESPN)

Welcome to The Knighted One’s Podcast, Episode number 24. We are the ONLY podcast that features a former UCF National Champion, a former UCF radio host, and several podcasters shooting the breeze, talking UCF Sports.

This week we talk about bad omens of CFB future, Men's Basketball staking their claim on the Sooners, Unionization, Realignment and an "exciting" drinking game you all (above the age of 21) can try at home!

Please comment for subjects that we should cover in our Intern Re-Education segment!

Introductions
Text Talk: Hoops – 00:04:29
Baylor Failure & Winning Sooner Rather Than Later – 00:10:47
- Strats & Stats On The Baylor Failure
- Ben's Tall Take
- Surefire Shemari
- Can’t out – Baylor, Baylor
- Missing Pieces
- Nil and Void
- One More Thing
- Everyone Getting Into The Groove
- Strats & Stats On The Success Over The Sooners
- A Difference Maker
- Staying High and Holding Them Low
- A Locked-In Tradition
- So Many Things Going Right
- Ben Feels The Payne
- Kicking In The Door
- Respect On Our Name
- Media Shoutout
- A Whopper of a Hot Take
- Josh Is Almost Left Speechless
- Special Guests On Campus
- Are We a Tourney Team?
UCF Football Talk – 01:05:11
- Schedule Drop Breakdown
- A Backloaded Schedule
- Feel Like We Belong
- Couch Burning and White Water Rafting
- Utah: A Bigger Game Than "THEM"??
- The Star Wars On Hold For This Season
- Roger Is Excited
- Way Too Early Pre-Season Prediction?
- Gus Is Gonna Lay Down The Law
- From Diamond Mining to Being The Mine
CFB Playoff Discussion – 01:40:25
- An Alliance of EVIL
- Whose Suffrage Is It Anyway?
- Unequal Pieces of The Pie
- The Black & Gold Silver Lining
- The Numbers Mean Nothing
- The Happening
- We've Endured
- Unionization On The Horizon
Student ReEducation: The O'Leary Years And The Transition Year-- 02:00:39
Josh’s Sometimes Funny Fact Of The Week – 02:06:02
- Tortilla Terror
UCF Athletic Sports Update – 02:09:40
- Women’s Hoops smacked down by West Virginia, bests Iowa State
- Huge Weekend For Sports In Orlando
- Accounting For Hail?
Final Thoughts – 02:12:22

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#ucf,#ucffootball,#UCFsports,#TK1,#ucfhoops,#ucfwomensbasketball,#ucfvolleyball,#ucfknights

Agreement reached between ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros Discovery for a new premium sports streaming platform. It will include offerings from at least 15 networks and all 4 professional sports leagues. It will also be able to be bundled with Disney+, Hulu and Max. Looks like they want it to be considered the premier sports streamer with a $40/month (at least) charge. They're gonna need a lot of content....

2 Quad 1 wins were there for the taking in Cincinnati and BYU. A Quad2 win with Mississippi was there too. If we got those three wins, we would be in the tournament no problem.

(The Stetson loss hurts but plenty of opportunities to make up for that one )

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Shortstop Mikey Kluska is one of several newcomers expected to be a key contributor for UCF this season. Kluska, who made previous stops at West Virginia and Richmond, talks about coming down to Orlando to play for Rich Wallace and talks about his past experience playing in the Big 12.

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Tyler Nesbitt is among several newcomers, transferring in from Florida last summer. He's expected to be in the mix to pitch in UCF's weekend rotation.

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Outfielder Jack Zyska was a standout player at Notre Dame, particularly during 2022 College World Series run in which led the Irish in home runs. He was hampered with injuries in 2023, but after receiving another year of eligibility he transferred to UCF to play for Rich Wallace, who coached him previously at ND.

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Ben Vespi is back for his final year and figures to be in the prominent mix for UCF's weekend rotation.

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UCF relief pitcher Kyle Kramer returns as the Knights' closer after registering a team-high eight saves in 2023. He'll continue to be a prominent option coming out of the bullpen.

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Najer Victor led pitchers in ERA (2.88) last season and is back for one final season. He'll continue coming out of the bullpen.

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On this episode of the Sons of UCF podcast, we answer the question, should we extend Johnny Dawkins contract? Plus, cow of the week takes many twists and turns.

Click here to listen.

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On this episode of the Sons of UCF podcast, we answer the question, should we extend Johnny Dawkins contract? Plus, cow of the week takes many twists and turns.

Click here to listen.

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Have 6 tickets available to the Friday night game Feb 9 v Seattle at 6p.

Planning to go Thu and Sun. Sat is still undecided but we will not be going Friday night.

Asking $5 per