Cam Goode is a man on a mission.
With a wide-open depth chart on UCF's defensive line, the freshman from Washington D.C. knows the opportunity is there to contribute immediately.
Goode, a Virginia Tech transfer, enrolled in January and spent spring practice getting acclimated to playing defensive tackle. He's also in the process of transforming his body, dropping 40 pounds since last summer.
UCFSports.com caught up with Goode towards the end of spring to talk about his early progress in Orlando.
Your journey here, what stood out about UCF? I remember you tweeting about UCF last fall, then you committed and got here in January. Why did you want to be a Knight?
"I just wanted to be adopted into a winning program that knows how to coach kids like me. Somebody that wants to have fun and somebody that can ball hard. We do both. That was something that just grabbed me."
How has the early going been? You've been here a few months. How are you liking things so far?
"It's a lot of tempo, most definitely. Got to move fast. I love my teammates. Those are guys I got along with very fast."
How has it been for you coming in and learning the system? I know you're probably coming in with the mindset to play this year. Has this spring been about getting better?
"Most definitely. When I was at Virginia Tech, I weighed 340. Right now I'm at 298. That's a big jump. Just changing my body. Being dedicated to this team. Showing them that I'm their guy. I'm running with the ones and twos. I want them to see that I'm a baller. Hopefully it'll work out."
You said you're at 298. Did all that come off when you got here or is that something you were working on last fall?
"When I left Virginia Tech I dropped 20. Then when I got here I dropped another 20."
Is that where the coaches want you or do you still have work to do?
"My coaches want me at 305. I kind of want to go to 290, then bulk back up."
How has spring practice been on the defensive line working with the guys?
"Honestly, d-line, we've got some monsters. We work hard every day. Everybody is competing. I'm happy that I could be added to the d-line because we're so versatile. We've got power. We've got speed. It's just crazy. We're going to shock a lot of people this year."
Do you know if you can play this season? Have you heard about the NCAA waiver to be eligible?
"All I can say is it'll be good news."
Coming in, you know UCF graduated a lot of defensive linemen so it's wide open. They need guys to come in and play. Is that your mindset, to be focused and be ready to play?
"Honestly, me being from D.C. and coming down to Florida, I kind of saw it as a business trip. My whole point since I got here was to start right away. I'm going to keep pushing every day. My coaches like the results. They're working with me and trying to make better as a player. Mentally, they're trying to keep me focused. They push me."
Has there been a turning point this spring when things started to click for you?
"One day I wasn't getting the plays down. There were so much signals. I was still doing old stuff from Virginia Tech. It was an adjustment. My coach called me in at 5:45 in the morning and made me do like seven play sheets. He said, 'You need to remember all these.' Ever since that day, I know every play now. A lot of work."
What are your goals for this season? I'd imagine you want to earn a starting spot.
"Of course. A starting spot. But even if I don't play this year, just to see my team succeed. Play hard. We're going for that National Championship. We've got a lot to prove. Just keep pushing, showing we're the dogs. Period."
