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Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste wants his teammates to know they can count on him. Any time, day or night, the UCF senior says they can pick up the phone and call him, whether it's a question about football or anything else.

As the only returning linebacker with significant game experience and a defensive player Gus Malzahn and Travis Williams will be relying upon, Jean-Baptiste knows it comes with the territory.

"I'm trying to lead by example for the whole defense and the linebacker room," Jean-Baptiste said. "I try to make sure everybody is on the same page. If they have any questions, come to me. I'm trying to be the big brother for everybody on the defense. Whenever they need some help or assistance, I'm there. Whatever time of day. I told them, call my phone. It may be late at night, but I'll answer."

Jean-Baptiste said former players like Nate Evans and Eric Mitchell mentored him when he was a young guy, so it's important to become the leader they were for him.

"I'm very hard on myself to make sure I'm a great example for the younger guys," Jean-Baptiste said. "The younger linebackers behind me. When my time is done here, they'll know the standard here and how to play at a high level."

As for the first week of spring, Jean-Baptiste said it's been productive.

"Everybody is comfortable and poised," he said.



And the pads were popping on Saturday after the first two practices were in shorts and jerseys only.

"First day of pads, everybody is usually excited," Jean-Baptiste said. "Had a lot of guys flying around making explosive contact. You hear something like boom, what's that? Everybody is flying around trying to hit people and make plays. For the first day of pads, I feel everybody came out with a competitive edge."

With Tatum Bethune and Bryson Armstrong moving on, that's providing opportunities for younger linebackers to seize the opportunity.

"Specific names I'd say are Quade Mosier, Cole Joyce, T-Lew," Jean-Baptiste said. "Terrence Lewis is stepping up and making sure his presence is known even though he's very limited. He shows he's very focused in practice and very eager to play."

Lewis, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021 from Miami Central, transferred to UCF from Maryland in January. He redshirted last season recovering from an injury, so UCF coaches are still being cautious and keeping him out of contact this spring.

"He's in the playbook," Jean-Baptiste said. "T-Lew, being from Miami, everybody is from Miami so there's a mutual connection. I watched him throughout high school. My senior year I played against him when he was a freshman. That's when we were introduced to each other. We stayed cool throughout high school."

Asked to name a highlight from that day's practice, Jean-Baptiste didn't hesitate to name drop another transfer.

"Koby Perry," Jean-Baptiste said. "I think we were in a boundary defense, he came down, filled the hole and made a (big hit). Everybody was like whoa."

Perry is an experienced former All-Conference defensive back from Austin Peay who will play his final season of eligibility with UCF this fall.

Earlier this week, Davonte Brown proclaimed UCF's defense would be "scary good" this season. Jean-Baptiste concurs.

"We can be damn good," Jean-Baptiste said.

Sam Jackson today on freshman QB Thomas Castellanos:

"He's a playmaker. He does a really good job. I think his coach will tell you, he's in the playbook and trying to take in as much as he can. When he has the ball in his hands, he makes something happen. It's really good. It's going to push all the quarterbacks to be better. It's going to be a good competition."

UCF's linebacker corps is set to get a huge boost with the addition of Eastern Illinois transfer Jason Johnson, an FCS All-American the past two seasons.

Johnson, who was on an official visit this past weekend, announced his commitment Sunday evening.

"When I first got the offer (in January), I already knew this was where I wanted to be," Johnson told UCFSports.com" When I came on the visit it just solidified it."

Over the past year, Johnson emerged as one of the best players in FCS, earning a spot on Hero Sports All-American Team for both his sophomore (spring 2021) and junior (fall 2021) seasons. He was the Ohio Valley Conference's leading tackler this past season with 112 stops, which ranked No. 7 overall in FCS. He was tied for the FCS lead with four fumble recoveries.

"My best traits are my physicality and my speed," Johnson said.

Linebacker is a massive need for UCF with only one returning player with experience.

"I've been talking to Coach T-Will (Travis Williams) and Coach Tre (Williams)," Johnson said. "They told me I have a big opportunity here. They needed a linebacker to come in and play. A plug and play type deal."

Johnson says he enjoyed the weekend visit, which included a Friday night bowling outing. He watched his future team practice on Saturday and was able to spend time with his host, Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, the player he'll likely start beside this fall.

"I feel like UCF will help me get to the next level," Johnson said. "It's a great state with a great fanbase. I know Coach T-Will and Coach Gus (Malzahn) are great coaches. I really like Coach T-Will's energy too. This is where I wanted to play."

Although he's known for a while UCF would be the pick, he officially let the coaches know before he departed Sunday.

"They were real excited," Johnson said.

T-Will told Johnson he'd be playing the "money backer" which is what UCF calls their weakside linebacker.

"That's similar to what I played last year," Johnson said. "We run a similar defense, just some different terms. I think I can pick it up pretty quick."

His journey will be similar to that of Bryson Armstrong, who was a former FCS All-American at Kennesaw State. Armstrong was UCF's leading tackler in 2021 before he was sidelined late in the season with an injury.

Johnson said he's looking forward to having the same successful transition to the FBS level.

"I love challenges," Johnson said. "I'm ready to take it on."

A 2019 graduate from Rich Central High School in Matteson, Ill., Johnson played wide receiver early in his career and didn't move to linebacker until his senior season. He had a monster year, but the lack of earlier film probably limited his recruiting attention. EIU was his only Division I offer to go along with a few more Division II schools.

Johnson, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, plans to enroll at UCF in May for the first summer school session.

"I just want to make a lot of plays and win a lot of games this year," Johnson said. "Just have fun really."

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Mike Bianchi:

As UCF football coach Gus Malzahn sat in a hospital room around-the-clock for two weeks, he had a lot of time to think and had many conversations with God.

As Kristi, his wife of 34 years, lay there in intensive care for 12 days in January, Gus was there by her side the entire time, wondering, worrying, hoping and praying she would survive.

“There were times I was scared to death I was going to lose her,” Gus says now. “I kept praying and I knew others were praying, too. We were overwhelmed by family, friends and fans who were sending their prayers our way. I believe Kristi is with us today because of the power of prayer and, of course, the doctors and nurses at Orlando Health were amazing.”

John Harris, an offensive lineman who has played at Virginia Tech and Mercer, announced Sunday he will finish his career at UCF.

The former Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek standout initially signed with the Hokies in the Class of 2018 and appeared in a few games his first season while maintaining his redshirt. He broke into the two-deep as a redshirt freshman in 2019, starting one game and playing in four others while rotating between guard and center.

Harris then transferred to Mercer where he became a full-time starter and All-Conference player the past two seasons.

Set to graduate later this spring, Harris hit the NCAA Transfer Portal in search of a new opportunity. UCF was the perfect fit.

"With recruiting, you never know where coaches are going to end up," Harris told UCFSports.com. "I knew Coach (Herb) Hand and Coach (Gus) Malzahn when they were at Auburn because they recruited me back in high school. When I got in the portal, I reached out and sent a cut-up of my film. They loved it. They offered, I want to say a few days after I was in the portal. It happened pretty quickly. I went down there on a visit in late January, early February and actually committed then."

Harris decided to go public with his decision on Sunday after visiting again this weekend.

"A big reason why I chose UCF was Coach Hand," Harris said. "I had a teammate from high school (Kaleb Kim) who played for him at Auburn. I talked to him and he said he was a great guy. You always knew where you stood with him. That's one thing I was happy to hear about was clarity. That was a big thing. The facilities at UCF are top notch. Also, the NIL stuff they're doing. They're really taking advantage of it and helping the players out with getting NIL opportunities. That was a big plus. I'm also excited about coming from a small town to the city of Orlando. Getting back to that big school feel."

Matt Lee showed him around during his first visit and he got more acquainted with the guys this past weekend.

"They were all super nice, so that was good to see," Harris said. "You never know how it's gonna be when you're a transfer coming in. Going to the practice on Saturday made me feel more part of the team. It felt good to be around the guys and going to meetings."

Harris says he's hoping to come down every weekend until the spring game. UCF is looking for him to compete for one of the interior line spots. He was a left guard at Mercer.

"One thing I'm pretty gifted at is my feet," Harris said. "I have really quick feet. I'm about to move in space pretty well. I'm pretty athletic as a guard. We did a lot of pulling and getting out in space here at Mercer. That was something Coach Hand really liked about me, how quick I was and how I was able to pull. We played Alabama in our first game this past year and he said he watched that film. You can't go up against better competition than Alabama and I did really well in that game. I think that was pretty key for me."

According to PFF, Harris graded a solid 65.9 against the Crimson Tide, including an 82.8 pass blocking grade.

Harris plans to arrive at UCF in early June. He will two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"I think we're gonna be a dark horse coming up this season," Harris said. "Cincinnati paved the way for the American to get to the Playoffs. UCF is headed to the Power Five anyway, going to the Big 12. I'm really excited. I think we're gonna be really good this year."

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Usually nod off to older radio clips before bed. Patrice talking about Holtz mushmouth and Mark May slayed me. You gotta listen.

What happen to Milton this season?

Love this guy and it's a miracle that he played this season but what happen to his passing game?
Just looked horrible with accuracy this season. He was so on top of things his junior season and
reminded me of Kevin Smith his last two seasons where he practiced great and tore it up...
but just looks so out of sync?

Check out 1st quarter and end of 4th quarter. Looked like FSU game play.

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Old Photos with Context

This is a thread from @cornhuskerbeef that he posts every so often. Colorized photos and context historically. Always a nice read on Sundays.

Walt Disney with the original Mickey Mouse Club lineup. 1955


A mob pours sugar, ketchup and mustard over the heads of (from left) John Salter, Joan Trumpauer and Anne Moody during a sit-in demonstration at a Woolworth’s ‘whites only’ lunch counter in Jackson, Miss. - May 28, 1963


System Violators: A Mid-80's High School Computer Club Photo


A French man reacts to trying Coca-Cola for the first time (1950s)


Marie Devereux, 1950s model

We’ve seen it over and over. It’s late in the game and a player for the trailing basketball team follows an untouched, bouncing/rolling, inbounds pass in an effort to save clock..Is this a smart tactic?

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Figured I would start a new thread about the portal. It seems like a lot of the portal post wind up on the recruiting thread or the DG one or the remaining QB’s one.

DG ain’t coming back and we already got a QB so we can probably let those threads sink to the bottom of the page.

2 LB’s, 1 TE and an OL just hit the portal from Alabama. Wonder if Gus recruited any of these guys?? All positions of need for us.

Bruce Weber. Drew Speraw was part of that staff for a long time, recently left to join the WAC office.

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I still can't figure out if they are good or bad at it. Also not sure if their military is all it was chalked up to be, since they are getting their asses handed to them in Ukraine.

Going through the internet while watching basketball today and found this interesting low earth orbit visualization site that shows all the satellites and debris orbiting earth. I know most of these things are small, but I wonder how we can even see the stars at night with all this stuff up there.

L.E.O. Site

The C1N 7-on-7 team, coached by Cam Newton, visited UCF this morning a day after winning the Pylon Tournament in Tampa.

Cam Newton's team includes a few high-level UCF targets, including WR Cayden Lee, LB Jamal Anderson Jr. and DB Kaleb Cost. And yes, Cam Newton was on campus.

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I caught up with Kaleb Cost a few weeks back:


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UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, proudly wearing a t-shirt featuring star running back Isaiah Bowser, talks about his team's first three practices of spring. Saturday's workout was their first in full pads.

Opening statement:

"Just wrapped up our first week of practice. I just told the guys overall I'm very pleased. The first week is about learning to practice. It's getting coached. We talked about development. Getting each individual developed, our team, all three phases. We went very slow with our installs. That was by design, but our guys responded very well. I told them I'm proud of them. Today was the first day of pads. Learning to practice with that, staying up. Everybody was excited. Some pretty good collisions and all that. That's to be expected. We made it through the first week with very few injuries which is great. The good thing now is we're gonna be in pads the rest of the way for the most part. Get a chance to have some scrimmages. Overall, it's been very good.

"We've rotated five quarterbacks which is extremely hard. It's a challenge. We will be narrowing that thing down. We told the guys after this Saturday we'll narrow it down a little bit. I don't know exactly what that means, but I'll let you know the next time I visit with you. We've rotated three groups. That's a challenge too. We want to give everybody a chance. We'll kind of narrow things down in two groups moving forward."

You're giving all the quarterbacks opportunities with the first team? Is that what you mean?

"The older guys for the most part. Thomas (Castellanos) has went with the twos and threes. We'll eventually through the deal, and he's doing well. You can tell he's got a skill set. Exactly what we thought. But it's been mainly the older guys being able to rotate. We've been keeping him, he's probably been getting more reps than anybody else but a lot of it has been with the threes and some with the twos. But that's by design too."

Mikey Keene coming back as a sophomore, how has he looked early on?

"Night and day (since last year). He was here for a month and a half before we started spring ball (last year). He earned the No. 2 job. Of course y'all saw what he did. He does a lot of things right. He's stronger. He's bigger and he's faster than he was. His teammates have a lot of confidence in him."

What have some of the younger guys shown?

"They're all getting reps. It doesn't matter how talented you are or what star you are. There's a transition period of college football that you get used to the speed of the game. You get used to the new signals. The new plays. But all the guys, you've seen them each day improve. They are talented. I'll tell you this: I think we hit on all of them which is always good. It's a really good group."

You've got a young group at linebacker. What have you noticed from them early on?

"They're playing hard. With Coach T-Will, that's the only option they have. It's good for them to get reps. There's nothing like getting reps. Today was the first day in pads. To play linebacker, you need to feel exactly what it feels like up front with guys going full speed. Today was really the first day they were able to do that. There were some good things. The great thing is they're getting opportunities to improve and develop."

How are the running backs looking?

"We've got a real running back group. I'll tell you that. The great thing is it starts with Isaiah Bowser, our veteran. The rest of them, Johnny (Richardson), you can tell he's much improved from this time last year. He's really doing a super job and turning into a leader too. The rest of the group, Mark-Antony (Richards) is obviously different than he was at this time last year. It's a really good room. A lot of talent in there. You can see us even use two running backs on the field at the same time. That's how much depth we have in that room."

Players have been impressed Thomas Castellanos when we've asked about standouts. What are your impressions?

"He's a playmaker. That's the best way to put it. When things break down, he can make plays. He's shown he can do that. We saw that on film. It's not a surprise to us."

Talking about Isaiah Bowser, he was banged up at times last year. What would you like to see from him this spring?

"He's developing his overall game which is already at a high level. You saw us last year. When he was healthy we were a different offense. He's taking care of his body. We're being very strategic and very smart with him. We're treating him like a pro. He chose to come back. He could have left. He chose to come back, so we're gonna make sure he's doing a lot of extra stuff off the field. Yoga. Starting to act like a pro. He's like another quarterback on the field. He's really smart. Knows what's going on.

"Johnny, I can't believe too. I keep repeating. Man, he's a real guy too. He's had a good first week."

What about R.J. Harvey? Before he got hurt last year, he was in line to be a primary guy? I know he's still not 100 percent, but where does he fit in?

"Coach Harris has him out there doing everything but against the defense. He's running good. I think the other day he ran a 4.4 or 4.5 (forty). He is back running full speed. But we're just not going to have him do any contact. You're exactly right. After spring last year, he was right there. He's a big smart guy. He played quarterback in high school. He's tough to tackle."

Are you concerned guys get too amped on the first day of pads?

"It's always good to go whoa instead of telling them. We've got guys, yeah it was good. It was pretty intense early. It got better. It got better."

Any other young guys on offense standing out?

"Not really standing out. It's just giving them opportunities for reps. The game next week will slow down for them. It was fast. We knew it would be. It'll be good now. They'll have a weekend to rest their bodies. Rest their mind. Tuesday we'll get back after it again."

Who are you seeing becoming leaders?

"The two guys you're fixing to talk to (Isaiah Bowser and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste). I'd start with those guys. The great thing is we've got numerous leaders. I told them right after practice. It's time now that the leaders start taking charge of this team. Not the coaches. They know the standard. They know the expectations. My experienced is championship teams are player led and we've got leaders that can do that. They've done a good job the first week. I've heard more leadership than any time last year. It's their time."

I know spring is always developing players. A year ago you were just trying to get to know your players. This spring are you trying to install more?

"It's development, competition. We have installed a few more things probably in the passing game than we did last year. We've got a lot of veteran receivers back. We have some quarterbacks that are veteran people too. It's mixing and matching it. From a coach's standpoint this spring, it's knowing your strengths. We're identifying our strengths offensively and defensively. When we're through with spring, I'll sit down with Trav. What are our strengths? We're gonna play those strengths. Offensively, sit down with Chip. We're gonna play to them. Each year it's a little bit different."

Is there a play that stood out to you today?

"No. No. There wasn't anything that really stood out. I'm big picturing everything. I get in the film room. I'll usually pick out one or two I'll call 'wow plays' on offense or defense with great effort or mental toughness, something like that. But nothing stood out."

Incoming transfers Kobe Hudson and Kemore Gamble, how are they doing early on?

"Well, they're veteran guys. They make plays every day. They're both learning the offense, but both of them are extremely talented."

You talked about how this program has embraced the NIL era. You've obviously got your shirt on with Isaiah. What does that mean to showcase to your players and future players this is what we're about?

"If you remember this time last year it was a little bit of a gray era and we said we're gonna embrace it. This is the perfect place to do that. We're here for our players for everything we can do within the rules. I know a lot of teams probably don't understand the rules. But we're actually doing it within the rules. We'll do everything we can. That's part of it."

You've got kicker Colton Boomer on campus. You've seen him kicking for an entire week. What have you liked about his game?

"He's got a big-time leg. Got a little nervous. That's to be expected. Always like to put pressure on kickers. See how he responded. He responded pretty good."

How has the offensive line been looking?

"They looked good for the first three days. I'll be able to watch the film. First day we did one-on-one pass rush. I'm over there with the skill guys, so I'll watch that. We're starting to pass the eye test as far as eye test of what a real offensive line looks like. That's real exciting."

What do you want to see in the next week? Next Saturday when we talk to you, will that be after your first scrimmage?

"It will. We're gonna scrimmage and put the ball down. We'll see how can tackle, who can block, who can hold the ball, who can get the ball. Good football stuff. Yeah, looking forward to next Saturday."

Beat Furman 9-0 after 5 1/2. Jada Cody stays hot with a hr and 3 rbi's.

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