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The team just arrived and Gus is doing a press conference. They had a blown tire on the trip down I-4 and had to get on another bus, so they were late arriving.

Takeaways from the first Big 12 season, it's a very quality league and they had some injuries. You have to play well every week. They had six long road games. Came up short in some games. Finished strong winning 3 of last 4 games.

Says they are "fairly healthy" right now. JRP is closer to 100 percent.

Gasparilla Bowl is a familiar place and they're happy to be here.

Practices have been really good. Practiced last weekend and this past weekend. Just had five consecutive days of practice. Intensity is picking up. They'll have a Wednesday practice in Tampa and then a walk-through on Thursday.

Opt outs? Corey Thornton is out because he went in the portal, but the "main pieces" are in place for the bowl game.

Some of the scout team guys in the portal are still with the team and on the bowl trip.

The past few weeks have been interesting. You're down with your own season, you re-recruit your own players to stay, then you start recruiting HS recruits and portal. Tomorrow is ESD. They will sign the best class in school history. Portal recruiting is about filling some needs. A lot of moving parts, new age of CFB and you have to adapt.

Is the team motivated? Gus says they are. It says a lot because the team is still pretty much intact. Only one main guy (Corey Thornton) is not playing in the bowl game.

The HS recruiting class, joining the Big 12 has been a game changer. There's a lot of excitement. It's an attractive destination for recruits.

Gus was asked about giving up play calling, he says he's still involved in the offense, but says you have to adapt.

The recruiting strategy has been to keep the top Orlando players at home, now it's popular to do that.

On GT, they're really good on offense. He recruited QB Haynes King at Auburn. A lot of speed at WR. Defensively, they do a "a lot of good things." The 2022 defense was one of the best they played. It's a good challenge.

It's very important to finish the season with a winning record.

Gus will evaluate everything after the bowl game. What ways can you improve? There are some things depth wise that needs to be addressed. Any time you go through something for the first time (Big 12), it's a learning experience.

Does being a familiar place (RayJay) help the team? Gus thinks so. The fans are familiar with the place. It was packed two years and he's expecting another packed house.

Did any younger guys stand out during bowl practice? A few years ago, maybe they could hold "younger guy practices" but now with recruiting and transfer portal they don't have time to do that. The practices are focused on getting ready for the game.

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UCF and Georgia Tech will do battle Friday, Dec. 22 in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium at the Gasparilla Bowl.

The two schools share some notable coaching ties. Former UCF and GT head coach George O'Leary is a member of both schools' Halls of Fame.

GT head coach Brent Key was a longtime UCF assistant under O'Leary and at one point some thought he would succeed GOL as the Knights' head coach. Now Key is the head coach of his alma mater.

For our preview, we caught up with the preeminent media source covering Georgia Tech: Kelly Quinlan of JacketsOnline.com. Quinlan recaps Key's first season on the Flats and what he expects to see in this matchup.

Via @Sidelines_UCF

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I thought it was a "spotless" performance.

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Welcome to The Knighted One’s Podcast, Episode number 17. 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 have UCF podcast OG Andrew Phegley to talk NIL and bowl
outlooks, we take a couple trips down memory lane, and we find out if Josh has ridden the Polar Express.

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

Introductions
Is UCF’s NIL Bag Made W/ Few Dollars And No Sense? – 00:04:20
- Can Our NIL Bag Compete?
- A Pay To Win League
- From Busses To Lambos
- Competing In The Long Game
- Building Them Up, Just To Watch Them Leave
- Leaving The Farm Life
- Tearing Down The League To Start Anew
- The Only Rule Is No Rules
- Changing With The Seasons (Every Season)
- Attracting Contracts
- The Media and Cow Market?
- Raising The Steaks
- Flipping Rosters
Missed (Mc)Calls, Portal Hauls, and More Withdrawals – 00:35:40
- Boston Gets Our Sloppy Seconds
- The Great Ryan O’Keefe
- Better Money, Better Players, Papa Johns
- Following The Money
- Is It Timmy’s Time?
- Can Or Should We Find Someone Better?
- Finding The Game Changers
- Lining Up The Pieces
- The Newly Knighted
- Comparing Wallets
- Downs Comin To Town
- Moving Up In The Ranks
- No Money, Mo Problems
Prepping To Swat The Swarm – 1:10:00
- Incoming interviews
- Gussing Out The Media
- Trying To Go Out With a Bang
- Andrew Isn’t Very Excitable
- Cooler Matchups Would Be more Enticing
- Andrew’s Score Prediction
- Pounding Ground and Popping Plays
- Parting Words From Andrew
Tre Yells At a Cloud – 1:33:52
- Dolphins Disappoint
- Tre Vs Roger – Sports Team Woes
Student Re-Education: Party In The UCF – 1:37:22
- Father Time Is Josh’s Best Friend
- Where Were You When Biggie Died?
- Josh Partied With Frats and Raved In Forests
- Josh Lazar For Your DJ Needs
- Allen Recounts His Days Of Pounders and Scoop
- EDM Changing The Night Scene In An Interesting Way
- Football Players Party Hard (When They Can)
- Noah’s Current Surroundings Are Only Echoes of Parties Past
Hoopin’ N Hollerin -- 1:55:04
- Triumphant In The Maine Event
- Battle Of Bad Freethrows
- Strats & Stats
- Positive Outlooks For The Fights Ahead
Allen’s Oxymoronic Stat Of The Week – 2:03:55
- Power 5 To The Power of 5
- Georgia Loves To Rush, Hates To Defend
Josh’s Sometimes Funny Fact Of The Week – 2:08:02
- Drawing a Large Crowd
- Best Bowl Coach
Listener Love – 2:11:22
- Josh Gets Trolled
UCF Athletic Sports Update – 2:13:37
- Heartbreaking 1st Loss In Women’s Hoops
- Big 12 Bowl Updates
Pick Your Poison / Score Prediction – 2:17:51
Final Thoughts – 2:26:22

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I realize this does not have to necessarily be an either/or but my fan hunch is that any transfer QB worth his salt probably wants close to a guarantee that he is QB1 wherever he goes. This seems especially true if he is a grad transfer or a junior/senior. I can't believe I've come to this resignation but at this point, I prefer to let Timmy, Xavier, and the young room duel it out in an open competition through spring and fall camps. Maybe some skill guys won't stick around for that, maybe some will. Timmy will be a redshirt junior, so even if it's him, you potentially have 2 years from him. If it's Dylan, Riley, or EJ, you get up to 4, NIL notwithstanding. Naively, I'm assuming a QB you develop from freshman year on that starts would have more skin in the game and may even concede some NIL to stay where he started as opposed to not. This seems like the moneyball move for UCF, especially with missing out on McCall. I dont see us getting a pay for play transfer who would move the needle enough at this point. It could result in a rough 2024, but I have faith it would be the more stable move long-term and perhaps help with future HS recruiting of QBs. Thoughts?

We caught up w/ Coach George O'Leary to talk about the UCF/GT matchup and more, including the 2023 season, QBs, Bowl Games, & Lunch with George.

Click here to listen.

A look back at the ultimate what could have been

The hors d’oeuvre spread was perfect and the open bar was spry with the vibrant energy of late twenty-somethings as we celebrated the union of my really good friend Rettew and his bride, on a balmy St. Augustine day on a terra cotta bricked terrace overlooking the water at dusk. It was the first real barrage of friends getting married in my young adult life. Felt like every other month it was either giving a decent envelope enough to at least cover your plate or tossing another $500 on a tuxedo rental to join a bridal party. This wedding was on the third week of September well within the midst of college football season and a date specifically chosen months in advance because UCF had a “cupcake” FCS opponent on the schedule.

Click here to read more from the Sons of UCF.

Section 238, Row S, Seats 5-6

Login to view embedded media Did we already know about this? Disappointing to see so many transfer already from the most recent class. I thought he had some potential

The Sons Podcast is back with a full episode of our usual nonsense, including QB talk, can anybody close around here, and oh yeah, we have a game this week. Plus, we play Bowl or No Bowl.

Click here to listen.

The Sons Podcast is back with a full episode of our usual nonsense, including QB talk, can anybody close around here, and oh yeah, we have a game this week. Plus, we play Bowl or No Bowl.

Click here to listen.

Many folks are not fully onboard the pay to play aspect of NIL.
Here is a way you can contribute tomorrow.
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Sorry if already posted

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If you care

@dali drama

radio or espn+

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UCF defensive tackle Ricky Barber was looking to go out with a monster senior year, but injuries limited him for much of the season. He's now feeling much healthier - 100 percent he says - and wants to finish with a strong performance and victory against Georgia Tech in Gasparilla Bowl. He also has the option to return next season, but has not yet made a decision about his plans.

(We had these interviews on Monday afternoon, then I came home and recorded a bowl preview with Kelly Quinlan and then went back over to UCF for the basketball game - I'll expand on these with a story/highlights/quotes later, but here's the video for now).

😬

And the hate is flowing on the OU Boards

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UCF wide receiver Xavier Townsend made a splash during his sophomore season and now gets to go back to his hometown for the bowl game. Townsend reflects on the year and what it would mean to beat Georgia Tech and finish with a winning record.

(We had these interviews on Monday afternoon, then I came home and recorded a bowl preview with Kelly Quinlan and then went back over to UCF for the basketball game - I'll expand on these with a story/highlights/quotes later, but here's the video for now).

A transfer from Kentucky. He played as a reserve during the 2022 season, but saw zero defensive snaps in 2023.

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