Eastern Illinois LB Jason Johnson was an FCS All-American.


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D3 last year, but still. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Justice prevails and Trump gets a check, lol.

Class of 2023 QB 6'6" Nick Iamaleava commits to Tennessee. 247 rates him as #3 overall player in 2023 recruiting class.

How did Heup pull this off?

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UCF returns only one linebacker with significant experience (Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste), but defensive coordinator Travis Williams isn't worried.

"They will be ready. I promise you by the time we play the first game, we will be fine," Williams said.

Here's a recap of T-Will's first media availability of spring practice, following UCF's second workout:

T-Will said the focus of spring is teaching effort, getting to the ball, working on leverage in regards to tackling and also communication.

"From the naked eye, I thought it was a solid day."

Asked about early standouts, T-Will name-dropped DE Josh Celiscar. "Just his effort and getting to the ball." Then also mentioned DT Ricky Barber and LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste. He added they'll know a lot more on Saturday when they put the pads on.

He said the first day of spring this year vs. last year is obviously "totally different." He thought a few guys "stepped up their level" in the second level.

I asked about leadership on the defensive side. "We've got Anthony Montalvo, Ricky Barber, Josh Celiscar, Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, Davonte Brown, Newt (Divaad Wilson). You have a nucleus of guys trying to take the bull by the horn and lead the right way."

T-Will added there's a difference between influence and leadership. Guys with "influence" don't always take you down the right path.

On Ricky Barber, T-Will wants to see him continue to develop under DT coach Kenny Martin. "Ricky was banged up a lot last year. I don't think we've seen close to what Ricky can be. I'm excited to see a healthy Ricky Barber this year."

Asked whether UCF's defense will be "scary good," quoting Davonte Brown, T-Will said he hopes he's right. "I think what he's saying is everybody is understanding what they're doing. Also the standard being the standard. That starts with coaches and also players. I'm glad he said that. I hope he's right."

Asked about transfers, T-Will said DB Koby Perry is showing tremendous effort. "He walks in the room and he's gonna be the one who's talking. He's the loudest guy in the room. Very confident, which is awesome."

Then he mentioned DT Lee Hunter and DB Nikai Martinez. "For us, it's getting the guys in the right seat. Very encouraged by the guys we brought in."

He wants players to "get to the ball with bad intentions."

I asked about the lack of depth at linebacker. Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste is the only returning player with significant game experience.

"It's critical. A lot of the guys have to grow up and be ready to play. I thought the first two days were really good. If you go back to last year when we first got here, what was the worst position everybody was saying? They said linebacker. I heard it. I read it. I get it. That's why they call me coach. I've got to get them ready. They will be ready. I promise you by the time we play the first game, we will be fine. I'm not worried about it. We've got the right guys in the room. We've just got to get them ready. It's a development sport."

Jason Beede asked whether they would continue to look in the transfer portal for linebackers (UCF just offered an FCS LB earlier this week).

"I don't know. My job is to develop. We'll see. We go to the portal to get the best players for a need. We'll see."

I asked whether guys like Quade Mosier, Cole Joyce or Kadeem Leonard are ready to take the next step.

"All three of those guys are doing great. Terrence Lewis is doing great. He's still hobbling with the injury he's rehabbing. We're watching the things he does as far as the contact part of it. He's getting reps. We have enough guys. We just have to get them enough reps even if we're rotating guys. We'll see."

I asked him to expand on Terrence Lewis, who is the former five-star recruit who transferred in after redshirting at Maryland last year. He confirmed he would be limited for the entirety of spring.

"You can see he can really change direction. He's very explosive. He's a student of the game. He's always in the office trying to learn the playbook and different things like that. When he's not out there, he has a play script and he's going over each play. Just trying to be a pro when he's on the sideline. I liked his preparation and his progress on and off the field. We've got to continue to bring him along and we'll be fine."

The reason he was holding up some hand sanitizer is because of the green color as it is St. Patrick's Day.

Believe It!

Yes it was a great Saturday for our UCF Women’s Basketball and Women’s Softball Teams.


Both Teams are playing at elite levels right now.


After watching on ESPN+ our Women’s Softball Team beat Furman 8-0 in the first game of our Doubleheader today, I watched our UCF Women’s Basketball Team dominate the gators in the NCAA Tournament 69-52. That was all very sweeeeeeeeeet.


As soon as the UCF Basketball game was over I went out to the UCF Softball game for the second game of our Doubleheader with Furman.
We ended up winning the second game 8-4.


After the game I took lots of pictures and interviewed our UCF Women’s Softball Assistant Coach Whitney Jones.



In the next few posts I will publish several great pictures and stories.


Good stuff for sure Ladies and Gentlemen!!!!…

Nm

Best to ever do it Go Knights

UCF still has a long way to go to match the "wow" factor when it comes to facilities.

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They should do everything in their power to hire Frank Martin. Former high school coach in Miami with ties in the state and was very successful in the Big 12 at K State. Would be an absolute home run.

For the facilities excuse crowd. You know, the guys who beat Kentucky. Looks like a middle school place.*

I started hearing rumors of this earlier today, hoped it wasn't true. I confirmed that sadly it is. Page Sessoms, a fullback for UCF in the late 1990s, died on Thursday as a result of a bicycle accident.

Page was an awesome guy. When I was in my infancy of starting this site, he was probably one of the first guys I got to know. He leaves a wife and two sons. Just awful.





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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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