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Notes from the press conference:

UCF Baseball had a record-setting fall semester in terms of GPA.

In the transfer portal, they focused on fixing depth issues in the infield, depth on the mound and left-handed bats. In recruiting, they focused on local players.

In addition to the difficulty of the Big 12 schedule, all their non-conference weekend opponents feel like they should be NCAA Tournament contenders. Central Michigan in particular is a quality team in the MAC.

Wallace says the Big 12 will be a top two baseball conference, if not this year then certainly next year.

He's played several Big 12 teams in the past and is familiar with their coaches.

Six players are competing for the three weekend rotation spots: Ben Vespi, Dom Stagliano, Tyler Nesbitt (Florida transfer), Cade Boxrucker (Campbell transfer), Dominic Castellano and Wiley Hartley (Campbell transfer).

Asked who has made the biggest jump since fall, Wallace said Ben Vespi with his fastball and breaking balls.

Wallace likes the team's "willingness to accept everything thrown at them."

Notre Dame transfer Jack Zyska was named a team captain, which was impressive since he showed up later than everyone else. The players jokingly call him "Coach Zyska" because of his leadership and experience.

Other team captains are Kyle Kramer, Najer Victor and Andrew Brait. Players vote.

UCF will open the season with Bryant, which is coached by former UCF assistant Ryan Klosterman. He's great friends with Klosty, he grew up playing against him here in Central Florida.

Wallace would like to play Florida every year home and home.

Wallace believes John Euliano Park can be one of the best environments in the Big 12, just like the Bounce House and Addition Financial have become for football and basketball.

In regards to the outfield spots, there are six players in the mix. And all six may play in any given game. Lex Boedicker can also play there, if needed.

The biggest difference in P5 baseball is depth and quality of arms.

Andrew Sundean, Danny Neri (Louisville transfer) and Dylan King (UNC transfer) are "more than capable" of seeing time at catcher. Sundean obviously has the best bat among them.

Wallace says they have 4-5 bullpen pitchers they feel comfortable about. Kyle Kramer obviously being one of them.

Centerfield is the biggest positional battle right now between Anthony Calabro, Andrew Williamson and Corey Robinson (who is still trying to get fully healthy). Another question: Who is the other infielder? Mikey Kluska will play shortstop, Andrew Brait will be somewhere in the infield.

Wallace, Ted Tom and Norberto Lopez have always been great friends while they've recruited against each other for their respective teams, now they're excited to be working together. Wallace added he thinks Drew Thomas is the best pitching coach in the country.

Transfer Portal means high school recruiting becomes more selective. He's really excited about the 2024 class they just signed.

Players with power should include Andrew Sundean, Lex Boedicker, Andrew Brait and Jack Zyska. But Wallace doesn't want to be one-dimensional. Their job is to become versatile, not just focusing on hitting home runs.

Wallace is especially excited about the primary bullpen, which should include Kyle Kramer, Najer Victor, Alex Galvan (Louisville transfer) and Spencer Bauer (Elon transfer).

Opening Weekend will be "really fun" and emotional.

As if there is not enough on your plate.

This is a very informative article that was written right after Gus got fired at Auburn…I encourage everyone to read it. Does this sound familiar?

Malzahn would ping-pong from being the CEO he said he needed to be and the hands-on coach he said he really was. He'd give offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee playcalling duties only to later take them back. Then Lashlee left for UConn, and Malzahn hired Chip Lindsey and handed him the keys to the offense. And true to form, Malzahn would call that "a mistake" and take control once again when he hired Kenny Dillingham as Lindsey's replacement.

Even this past offseason, Malzahn couldn't help changing his mind once more as he hired his buddy and former Arkansas coach Chad Morris to run the offense, giving Morris playcalling duties, which he appeared to maintain throughout the season.

Click to expand...

A lot of places got smashed today. Oviedo, Gotha, Windermere, Dr. Phillips, Taveres, Eustis, Brookesville, Gainesville, Flagler Beach, Palm Coast, Jacksonville area. Hail as small as pea size and as large as golfballs with some wind gusts break 45/50mph.

If you want your home checked out for free, give me a call. I’ll send you a free detailed inspection report. 386-793-3727

Sure he drank like a fish and used enough chewing tobacco to smother a small village on a daily basis, but @Boston.Knight knows it was actually the covid vaccine (that he never got) that gave him stomach cancer.

Pour one out (of a red solo cup).

• UCF’s class, meanwhile, is the program’s best-ever, and that was to be expected considering the Knights are entering their second season in the Big 12. Seven of the top 25 recruits to sign with UCF in the modern era are a part of the 2024 class, an 18-member group that is headlined by former Georgia defensive back commitment Jaylen Heyward, four-star tight end Kylan Fox and four-star receiver Bredell Richardson.

“As good a corner as any in the state,” Blustein said of Heyward. “Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan all wanted Richardson early.”

• UCF has continued to be aggressive in the transfer portal. That’s part of the reason only three freshmen from the 2023 cycle cracked the Knights’ starting lineup last season: tight end Randy Pittman, nose tackle John Walker and defensive back Braeden Marshall.

Looking for an early contributor from the 2024 class? Four-star interior offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr. from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson High is an early enrollee who might be able to play his way into the rotation. But there don’t appear to be many other opportunities considering Gus Malzahn addressed most of the immediate needs in the portal.

“The only place they didn’t do extremely well was with offensive linemen,” Blustein said. “Chase Malamala (whose father played in the NFL) is a couple years away.”

• Blustein said incoming three-star quarterback Riley Trujillo has a good shot to replace Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson as UCF’s starter in 2025. He likes Trujillo more than 2023 signee Dylan Rizk.

• The return of South Florida native Tim Harris Jr. as UCF’s offensive coordinator (he was Miami’s running backs coach in 2023) should be a big boon for the Knights on the trail. UCF has signed only one recruit out of the Dade/Broward area in each of the past two cycles.

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Jaylen just decommited from LSU. Can Trovon bring in another top GA DB?

I’m pretty tech savvy, and I’m a total productivity app honk. But, Slack has never clicked with me. It’s always seemed noisy and busy. So, I never used it for my business.

I just joined a business group that does all its communication on Slack. I have to use it. It’s pretty popular, so I think I’m the weirdo, no the rest of the tech universe. I need to figure out the disconnect.

Anyone have tips on how to make Slack make sense to me? What am I missing that everyone seems to get?

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Ricky Barber has something to prove in his final season of college football.

The UCF defensive tackle hoped he could parlay a successful 2023 into an NFL career, but injuries precluded him from displaying his full potential.

Barber is among several high-profile Knights announcing a return for one more season and we recently caught up with him.

He's looking at 2024 as a fresh opportunity.

"I definitely have something to prove," Barber said. "It starts in the offseason. I'm working to be as healthy as possible and taking my training to the next level."

He elaborated on his thought process to come back.

"I realized after the bowl game, looking back on the season and myself in the mirror, I wasn't able to give my all," Barber said. "I was trying to give my all for my team, but I wasn't healthy. I knew I had to come back and prove myself. Show Orlando and Knight Nation I have more to offer."

Barber played in 10 of 13 games, though two of those he played minimal reps (Kansas State and Baylor). He missed the Villanova, Kansas and Oklahoma State games. The team captain finished with 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks with a final PFF grade of 67.1.



What did he learn during UCF's first Big 12 season?

"I thought it was more of a passing league, but I realized they run the ball a lot," Barber said. "I also learned everybody is a lot bigger. You play a top offensive line every week. Every offensive line we played had a guy that a projected top three (NFL Draft pick)."

Barber acknowledged that American Athletic Conference linemen were "a lot smaller." So were they physically not ready for the challenge?

"I think we got out-schemed," Barber said. "Not out-physical'd."

UCF just brought in a new defensive coordinator in Ted Roof.

"He's a big-time coach, so it'll be good to pick his brain and learn from him," Barber said. "He'll put us in position to make plays. All we have to do is trust him."

UCF's defense should see an upgrade with several key players returning plus experienced additions out of the transfer portal.

"I'm very excited," Barber said. "I feel we have a lot of weapons, but we have to work. On paper, we're supposed to be a dominant defense, but we have to put in that work."

The run defense was a glaring deficiency last year. The first steps to improving that area is happening now under new strength coach Anthony Kincy.

"Stopping the run starts in the weight room," Barber said. "They brought in Coach Kincy who is going to help us develop that edge to be better against the run."

Barber called the 6-7 record "embarrassing" but says they're putting in the work to fix it.

"We want to put a stamp on ourselves to be one of the better teams in the Big 12," Barber said. "Last year we were up and down. We need to put more of a complete season together and solidify who we are in the Big 12."

This list did not include bowl games or CFP.

Only two 2024 Big 12 Teams (both newbies) made it on this Top 32 list:

Average number of viewers in Nielsen Rated Games
1) Alabama 7.12 Million Viewers (SEC)
2) Ohio State 6.05 Million Viewers (Big Ten)
3) Colorado 6.00 (Pac-12, moving to Big 12)
4) Georgia 5.90 (SEC)
5) Michigan 5.61 (Big Ten)
6) Tennessee 4.57 (SEC)
7) Oregon 4.43 (Pac-12)
8) Texas 4.26 (Big 12)
9) Florida State 4.16 (ACC)
10) Notre Dame 4.15 (Independent)
11) Washington 4.14 (Pac-12)
12) LSU 3.79 (SEC)
13) USC 3.77 (Pac-12)
14) Penn State 3.66 (Big Ten)
15) Auburn 3.55 (SEC)
16) Missouri 3.25 (SEC)
17) Florida 3.17 (SEC)
18) Ole Miss 2.93 (SEC)
19) Clemson 2.90 (ACC)
20) Texas A&M 2.74 (SEC)
21) Iowa 2.68 (Big Ten)
22) Miami 2.65 (ACC)
23) Duke 2.639 (ACC)
24) Nebraska 2.637 (Big Ten)
25) Utah 2.616 (Pac-12...moving to Big 12)
26) Oklahoma 2.6153 (Big 12)
27) Navy 2.6152 (AAC)
28) Oregon State 2.44 (Pac-12)*
29) Louisville 2.37 (ACC)
30) Washington State 2.15 (Pac-12)*
31) Kentucky 2.07 (SEC)
32) Mississippi State 2.01 (SEC)

*Got left behind from P4 status but has a scheduling deal with MWC for 2 seasons.

If other Big 12 teams can't crack this list after losing OU and especially Texas....it won't be hard to imagine what the NEXT TV Deal the conf will be offered come 2029-2030. (Also shows the INCREDIBLE negotiation deal Yormark got for his new TV contract).

Also of note: 17 of the Top 20 teams will now be in the SEC or Big Ten in 2024...only FSU, Clemson and ND are the lone outsiders of that Top 20 group.

The 2024 UCF Softball team will feature a few new faces, including Stormy Kotzelnick, who will contribute as a utility player. The Knights will need depth and versatility as they prepare to play their first season in the Big 12 Conference.

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Can't believe it's just a point. Seems like easy money here.

OU 78
UCF 66

Both teams need a win badly.

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Kobe Hudson is putting in the work to make sure his final year is his best year.

"I had a good year last year, but I'm not a guy that wants to be average," Hudson said. "I want to reach for the stars."

Hudson's decision to return for a fifth season was among several offseason wins for UCF. With Javon Baker off to the NFL, Hudson becomes UCF's de facto No. 1 wide receiver. Last year he closely trailed Baker in receptions (44) and yards (900) but was first on the team with eight touchdown receptions.

Hudson recently met with the media to talk about his goals in 2024.

"I can get way better," Hudson said. "Y'all have just seen a little bit of me, to be honest. Y'all haven't seen my potential. There's a lot of things I can get better at on and off the field. When I clean up the details, it'll be hard to pick anybody over me."

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Hudson said he likes to watch NFL wide receivers like Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Calvin Ridley and Stefon Diggs, and sees aspects of their game he's trying to incorporate into his own.

"They dominate the game week in and week out," Hudson said. "They play with an edge every game. I've got to have a knack for the ball. When the ball is in the air, I've got to attack it more. I feel like I've been more of a finesse player. Me being a dog, attacking the ball, will help me get to the NFL."



Beyond what he does on the field, Hudson aspires to be the best teammate he can be.

"Coach Gus Malzahn has challenged me to be a better leader for the team," Hudson said. "I have influence, people look up to me. I want to be the guy that if people have problems, they can come to me. I'm going into my fifth year. I've been through a lot of ups and downs, so I can provide some answers."

Hudson had been closely intertwined with Javon Baker these past two seasons. The duo began their careers at Auburn and Alabama respectively, but were close friends throughout high school.

With Baker moving on, Hudson said you can count on him to be UCF's top receiving threat. Xavier Townsend will also step up, Hudson said.

He's extremely excited about the addition of quarterback KJ Jefferson.

"I know KJ is a football player," Hudson said. "He's a winner. I've seen him win a lot of big games in the SEC. We've got to get on the same page as an offense. We win games now. Everybody practices during the season, but you separate yourselves now when the coaches aren't there."

Hudson said he immediately took a liking to Jefferson.

"He's a great person," Hudson said. "I've been with him for a couple weeks ago and already love him. The connection is there. It's like I've known him my whole life. If the connection is there off the field, I know it'll be there on the field."

The goal is 2024 is to reach "the biggest game possible." A Big 12 Championship will equal a College Playoff berth. Hudson said he doesn't care if people think of UCF as a contender or not, he knows they'll have to prove it.

"We're coming off a 6-7 season," Hudson said. "We did below average if you ask me. With the roster we have, we should win a lot of games... I feel this year will be way better. We've got to prove it. With the way we're working, it's attention to detail. Everybody has got to step up and be leaders. Everybody is accountable, from the walk-ons to the highest-paid players in NIL."

Thought it would have been higher.

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Newcomer Sona Halajian joins the 2024 UCF Softball team as they begin their inaugural season in the Big 12. Although new to the Knights, Sona is a veteran pitcher who will bring much needed depth and experience.

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With what looks like some better talent coming to the squad next season with the assistance of some new NIL $$ into the program, I wanted to gage the interest of those here innthe Dungeon.

While prices will probably increase some this off-season, everyone can agree that seeing incredible Big 12 Hoops on our own court is almost priceless.

There is a media day tomorrow (Tuesday) with Rich Wallace and players.

Look for an announcement soon.

Post I made a few days ago:

Newcomer Sona Halajian joins the 2024 UCF Softball team as they begin their inaugural season in the Big 12. Although new to the Knights, Sona is a veteran pitcher who will bring much needed depth and experience.

Click here for more from the Sons of UCF.

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Watching right now with Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton absolutely crushing in a duet. Jennifer Lopez is fine as ever and Harry Styles won album of the year to kick off the festivities.

I’m sure ya’ll are watching, on CBS if not.

Shania Twain could get it still.

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On the first day of his junior year, Sincere Edwards wanted the world to know that he's going to be a UCF Knight.

The Class of 2024 four-star defensive lineman from Apopka's Wekiva High School tweeted his decision shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. His recruiter, defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin, put Knight Nation on "boom watch" a few minutes earlier.

Edwards has visited UCF countless times for games and recruiting events. He was most recently at "Knight Splash" in late July and also attended Bounce House Weekend in June as well as "Hometown Hero" this past January.

"I got my UCF offer about a year ago around the time Coach (Gus) Malzahn got here," Edwards told UCFSports.com earlier this year. "Coach (Kenny) Martin is recruiting me... (The visit) was real fun. I like a lot about UCF, just talking and being around everybody. It felt like home. And it's close to home."

As a sophomore, Edwards had 62 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and a blocked punt. He even contributed on offense, scoring four touchdowns.

"I just have fun," Edwards said about his game. "I feel like I can improve my speed though, come off the ball faster. Hand placement, stuff like that. I'm working to get better."

Other early offers included Arkansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, NC State, Utah, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Purdue.

Edwards talked about what he liked about UCF in a prior interview:

"I love how new they are," Edwards said. "They're bringing a whole new coaching style. They're trying to win. You can tell they're trying to change the program."

In his eyes, the fact UCF is now a Power Five program headed to the Big 12 is huge.

"Now people won't be able to say there's no competition in the conference they're in," Edwards said. "It'll make a real big impact as far as my recruitment goes."

Edwards is the latest in a string of "Hometown Heroes" - local players from the Central Florida area - committing to UCF. He joins a group that includes 2023 commitments Kaven Call, Andrew Harris, Michael Harris, Grant Reddick, John Walker and Braeden Marshall.

He is also the earliest commitment in UCF history, pledging in August of his junior year. That beats current tight end Jordan Davis, who committed in November of his junior year. Kaven Call, who committed last Christmas, would be No. 3 on the list.

UCFSports.com hopes to catch up with Edwards as soon as possible for more insight into his decision.

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Pitcher Grace Jewell returns to the UCF Softball team as they compete in the Big 12 conference for the first time in 2024. Grace and the rest of the pitching staff will play an important role in helping the Knights take on new competition.

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Congrats, ELO!

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