I want to express my gratitude to all of you for supporting me and this site all these years. Some of you have been with me going on 20 years, others a few months, but I'm incredibly appreciative of each and every one of you that have enabled me to continue doing what I love.
I know it's been a difficult year, some feeling the impact more than others, and I sincerely hope our little gathering place has maybe been a bit of a respite from daily life. I know some of us can rankle some nerves from time to time, but at the end of the day we all share in the same passion - our love of UCF. I feel like we're a family.
I am thankful we got a football season, even if was a shortened one. There was plenty of skepticism early on that would even be possible.
From a coverage standpoint, everything has been different but we're making do. UCFAA has done their best to accommodate via Zoom interviews. I certainly miss the connection that comes with in-person interviews. Hopefully things will get more back to normal in that regard by next season.
I was really thankful/honored that I was one of the few media granted field access for football games. It feels like the season began yesterday, I can't believe the home slate is already over.
I am wondering if Black Friday will be the final game of the season (assuming the final team COVID test goes well on Thursday). With COVID cases rising and postponements/cancellations happening left and right, plus the concerns of holding players in the "bubble" for another month, the potential of mass opt-outs since bowls this year won't be a "reward," etc., I am kind of skeptical. We'll see.
Assuming we're all clear for Friday (so far, so good), I'll just appreciate the opportunity to see this team perform one last time. I know the expectations were a lot higher, but there's still been some fun times. It was a blast seeing UCF dominate GT, just thinking back to those days when all UCF wanted was a chance to be on the field against those established "BCS" teams.
I'm not entirely sure what's in store in regards to KZ. It certainly seems like something is in the works. Frankly, I'm not really interested in doing too much prying. We know he's been working to get back and if he makes some sort of appearance - whether it's just suiting up, actually playing, taking a knee, etc. - I think we all just want to see how it unfolds. I'll never forget driving back from Tampa in 2018, getting incoming texts that KZ was in serious jeopardy of losing his leg. I remember stopping at that rest stop past Lakeland just feeling sick to my stomach.
Recruiting coverage has been different. The NCAA Dead Period will end up officially lasting more than one year (it's currently in effect through April 15, 2021). That obviously meant no visits during the summer, no game visits and no official visits. Recruits obviously have still been committing, but it's just different when you know this entire Class of 2021 will go through an entire recruiting cycle without ever visiting campus or meeting their future coaches face to face.
I anticipate we'll see a little more recruiting action here in December before we get to the early signing period. The fun part of this time period was tracking who came on visits (or commits visiting elsewhere), who might commit/flip, which players got home visits from coaches, etc. I guess that won't happen this year, but maybe we'll still see a little bit of drama.
Aside from recruiting, I am very eager to see what might happen this offseason, whether there is perhaps some staff shakeup. There are some who believe Heupel could adjust some roles. The national coaching carousel will likely be smaller just due to financial considerations, but there will be some movement.
Coming this spring, players will also have the opportunity to transfer without having to sit out. That will be fascinating to see, just how that complements high school/JUCO recruiting. With so many talented Florida players eager to leave the state out of high school, I think this route could be especially beneficial to UCF.
I'm crossing my fingers about basketball season. We all know how perilous it is as it doesn't take much (one positive case) to disrupt an entire team. The season opener vs. Oklahoma is already off... just hoping UCF and Auburn can stay COVID free so we can get that in on Monday. Just take it one game at a time at this point.
On the bright side, there is light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the vaccine. It does seem like we should be able to resume "normal" life perhaps by summer and certainly by next fall. I'm really thankful for the prospect of that.
I hope each and everyone of you has a great Thanksgiving and upcoming holiday season.
Thank you, and Charge On.
I know it's been a difficult year, some feeling the impact more than others, and I sincerely hope our little gathering place has maybe been a bit of a respite from daily life. I know some of us can rankle some nerves from time to time, but at the end of the day we all share in the same passion - our love of UCF. I feel like we're a family.
I am thankful we got a football season, even if was a shortened one. There was plenty of skepticism early on that would even be possible.
From a coverage standpoint, everything has been different but we're making do. UCFAA has done their best to accommodate via Zoom interviews. I certainly miss the connection that comes with in-person interviews. Hopefully things will get more back to normal in that regard by next season.
I was really thankful/honored that I was one of the few media granted field access for football games. It feels like the season began yesterday, I can't believe the home slate is already over.
I am wondering if Black Friday will be the final game of the season (assuming the final team COVID test goes well on Thursday). With COVID cases rising and postponements/cancellations happening left and right, plus the concerns of holding players in the "bubble" for another month, the potential of mass opt-outs since bowls this year won't be a "reward," etc., I am kind of skeptical. We'll see.
Assuming we're all clear for Friday (so far, so good), I'll just appreciate the opportunity to see this team perform one last time. I know the expectations were a lot higher, but there's still been some fun times. It was a blast seeing UCF dominate GT, just thinking back to those days when all UCF wanted was a chance to be on the field against those established "BCS" teams.
I'm not entirely sure what's in store in regards to KZ. It certainly seems like something is in the works. Frankly, I'm not really interested in doing too much prying. We know he's been working to get back and if he makes some sort of appearance - whether it's just suiting up, actually playing, taking a knee, etc. - I think we all just want to see how it unfolds. I'll never forget driving back from Tampa in 2018, getting incoming texts that KZ was in serious jeopardy of losing his leg. I remember stopping at that rest stop past Lakeland just feeling sick to my stomach.
Recruiting coverage has been different. The NCAA Dead Period will end up officially lasting more than one year (it's currently in effect through April 15, 2021). That obviously meant no visits during the summer, no game visits and no official visits. Recruits obviously have still been committing, but it's just different when you know this entire Class of 2021 will go through an entire recruiting cycle without ever visiting campus or meeting their future coaches face to face.
I anticipate we'll see a little more recruiting action here in December before we get to the early signing period. The fun part of this time period was tracking who came on visits (or commits visiting elsewhere), who might commit/flip, which players got home visits from coaches, etc. I guess that won't happen this year, but maybe we'll still see a little bit of drama.
Aside from recruiting, I am very eager to see what might happen this offseason, whether there is perhaps some staff shakeup. There are some who believe Heupel could adjust some roles. The national coaching carousel will likely be smaller just due to financial considerations, but there will be some movement.
Coming this spring, players will also have the opportunity to transfer without having to sit out. That will be fascinating to see, just how that complements high school/JUCO recruiting. With so many talented Florida players eager to leave the state out of high school, I think this route could be especially beneficial to UCF.
I'm crossing my fingers about basketball season. We all know how perilous it is as it doesn't take much (one positive case) to disrupt an entire team. The season opener vs. Oklahoma is already off... just hoping UCF and Auburn can stay COVID free so we can get that in on Monday. Just take it one game at a time at this point.
On the bright side, there is light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the vaccine. It does seem like we should be able to resume "normal" life perhaps by summer and certainly by next fall. I'm really thankful for the prospect of that.
I hope each and everyone of you has a great Thanksgiving and upcoming holiday season.
Thank you, and Charge On.
