So it's safe to say nobody on this board envisioned 0-12. Hell even most of us were expecting a 6-6 season (bowl game) as a worst case scenario. I follow this team very closely and my prediction was somewhere around 8-4/9-3. What went wrong? Many will point to injuries..and as much as that sounds like a valid excuse this team was going to struggle mightily regardless. The biggest issue with this team was that we coupled an inexperienced roster with an incompetent coaching staff. While our players were trying to learn how to perform at a D1 level, the same could be said about the coaches..particularly Brent Key. How can you teach a group of young players how to be successful when you don't even know how to do so yourself? Brent Key always called a football game scared. I rarely ever saw any plays more complicated than you would see at a local high school. Obviously he was bad at his job because he went from the next head coach to jobless in a span of a few months.
And don't even get me going about the other coordinator. I have never seen a UCF defense, let alone any defense in the country as clueless as that one. Do we lack talent on defense..of course. My biggest issue, however, was that nobody was ever in the right spot at the right time. There were so many missed assignments. Even in our bad years we were always able to pride ourselves on defense. Chuck Breshnahan will not cut it at UCF. Therefore, I am happy he will be canned.
The players are not off the hook..many of them should really be ashamed of their performance this season. I can't speak for all of them, but it seemed like they quit fighting on many occasions during many games. Any time they were faced with adversity they crumbled. Now I'll stop there because I'm not trying to bash them. They are high character individuals and you can tell we are a more classy program on and off the field than other programs. But this is football..as much as it's important to have quality character guys..we've recruited some soft players..especially on the O-Line. I'm not saying let's go recruit shady players..let's try to be somewhere in the middle.
As it stands right now this is how I feel about the future of each position group
QB- Potential. That is the key word with this group. The problem is this group hasn't come close to reaching that potential so far. Whether it's a lack of QB coaching or just not being able to adjust to the D1 game..I haven't seen much that gives me a lot of hope in the future with our QBs. I really liked Justin Holman last season, but he has regressed a lot since then. To his defense the O-Line did him no favors. However, he made way too many mistakes that cost us momentum in almost every game this season. The jury is still out on Bo Schneider..we messed up his situation by burning his redshirt. Tyler Harris has a great arm..but his accuracy is a big question mark. Hopefully he can live up to the potential Alabama saw in him when they offered him a scholarship. Regardless, I believe we need to go out and recruit 1-2 QBs at the very least.
RB- Meh. Not real impressed with the RB's. Once again, I will defend them a decent amount because the O-Line was atrocious in run protection. However, I didn't really see any flashes out of this group. Then again this position is all about vision and leg strength and those are 2 areas that can be improved in the weight room and with experience on the field. I'd still go out and look for 1-2 RB's that can be game changers.
WR- 2 words. Tre'Quan Smith. He is the real deal. He shattered the UCF Freshman WR records and he can continue to break records if we get him a consistent QB and at least an average O-Line. For a Freshman to come in and make highlight reel catches week in and week out is very impressive. If there is one guy that keeps me optimistic for the future it would be him. I also think Tristan Payton can become a good player here if used the right way. With Jordan Akins coming back (I hope?) the WR core will be fine.
OL- The heartbeat of the offense. How this group progresses/regresses will determine how our offense fairs next season. Luke Hiers (medical redshirt Freshman) should be ready to go next season. Hopefully he can crack the lineup and help bolster the line. I believe we also need to go the JUCO route if we want to win games next season. This group will improve, but I don't really think this group has a high ceiling based on athletic ability alone.
DL- Wow was this group a disappointment. What did Thomas Niles have this year 1 sack? Lance McDowdell never panned out unfortunately. Luke Adams was average at best. One guy I do like is Jamiyus Pittman..and he'll be back next season. We need to recruit some big D Tackles from south florida so we can stop getting pushed around up front. There was no pass rush all season..which made the secondary look even worse than they are.
LBs- slow and undersized...although inexperienced. Domenic Spencer played his heart out for us..but he just didn't have the intangibles. We have to recruit quicker linebackers. The group we have right now will improve..but how much faster are they really going to get? I think we have to recruit more at this position as well. Another thing I'd love to know is why we never really used Errol Clarke and Justin McDonald? McDonald was a stud early on at UCF..and Errol Clarke played a lot last year. And I can tell you right now they are better than the guys we used..what is that all about?
Secondary- I'll try to say it in the nicest way possible..this group is not good. I don't feel bad in saying it because these guys get to go to school for free..they can handle criticism from some random internet poster. Tre Neal has a ways to go..and one safety who I won't name didn't belong on a D1 football field. Why did we not use TJ Mutcherson???????????????He was our best defensive player when he saw the field. I'd love an answer on that actually. Hopefully Mike Rogers and Chris Williams can make an impact next season. As I've said before, I think Chris Williams is very talented.
Special Teams- solid..above average actually
I'm expecting a 3-9/4-8 season next year. The rebuild will not happen overnight. Part of the reason this year was such a shock is that we were spoiled previously. If you look at all the inexperience on our roster it was probably very biased to think we would be good this season. A lot of us fell for it. There's nothing wrong with high expectations though. There is NO EXCUSE for this program to go 0-12.
As far as stadium production goes..this is almost as bad as the team was this season.. The promotions/graphics/games are extremely cheesy at BHNS. The sound system and scoreboard are equally as bad. We really need a donor to step up and help get some quality equipment. Where is a donation from Brandon Marshall, Josh Sitton, Asante Samuel? You see donations at other programs. We made these guys. Brandon Marshall should LOVE UCF because if it wasn't for a position change he would be working a 9-5 as we speak.
Head Coaching Search
Go with Geoff Collins or Dino Babers. Personally I would choose Collins because of his UCF/Florida recruiting ties. However, Babers would probably produce a more exciting offense. Either way I am happy with the candidates.
As much as it sounds like a rant.. I'm optimistic for the future because I believe we have a solid president, a great campus, and an amazing recruiting base. We'll be back.
And don't even get me going about the other coordinator. I have never seen a UCF defense, let alone any defense in the country as clueless as that one. Do we lack talent on defense..of course. My biggest issue, however, was that nobody was ever in the right spot at the right time. There were so many missed assignments. Even in our bad years we were always able to pride ourselves on defense. Chuck Breshnahan will not cut it at UCF. Therefore, I am happy he will be canned.
The players are not off the hook..many of them should really be ashamed of their performance this season. I can't speak for all of them, but it seemed like they quit fighting on many occasions during many games. Any time they were faced with adversity they crumbled. Now I'll stop there because I'm not trying to bash them. They are high character individuals and you can tell we are a more classy program on and off the field than other programs. But this is football..as much as it's important to have quality character guys..we've recruited some soft players..especially on the O-Line. I'm not saying let's go recruit shady players..let's try to be somewhere in the middle.
As it stands right now this is how I feel about the future of each position group
QB- Potential. That is the key word with this group. The problem is this group hasn't come close to reaching that potential so far. Whether it's a lack of QB coaching or just not being able to adjust to the D1 game..I haven't seen much that gives me a lot of hope in the future with our QBs. I really liked Justin Holman last season, but he has regressed a lot since then. To his defense the O-Line did him no favors. However, he made way too many mistakes that cost us momentum in almost every game this season. The jury is still out on Bo Schneider..we messed up his situation by burning his redshirt. Tyler Harris has a great arm..but his accuracy is a big question mark. Hopefully he can live up to the potential Alabama saw in him when they offered him a scholarship. Regardless, I believe we need to go out and recruit 1-2 QBs at the very least.
RB- Meh. Not real impressed with the RB's. Once again, I will defend them a decent amount because the O-Line was atrocious in run protection. However, I didn't really see any flashes out of this group. Then again this position is all about vision and leg strength and those are 2 areas that can be improved in the weight room and with experience on the field. I'd still go out and look for 1-2 RB's that can be game changers.
WR- 2 words. Tre'Quan Smith. He is the real deal. He shattered the UCF Freshman WR records and he can continue to break records if we get him a consistent QB and at least an average O-Line. For a Freshman to come in and make highlight reel catches week in and week out is very impressive. If there is one guy that keeps me optimistic for the future it would be him. I also think Tristan Payton can become a good player here if used the right way. With Jordan Akins coming back (I hope?) the WR core will be fine.
OL- The heartbeat of the offense. How this group progresses/regresses will determine how our offense fairs next season. Luke Hiers (medical redshirt Freshman) should be ready to go next season. Hopefully he can crack the lineup and help bolster the line. I believe we also need to go the JUCO route if we want to win games next season. This group will improve, but I don't really think this group has a high ceiling based on athletic ability alone.
DL- Wow was this group a disappointment. What did Thomas Niles have this year 1 sack? Lance McDowdell never panned out unfortunately. Luke Adams was average at best. One guy I do like is Jamiyus Pittman..and he'll be back next season. We need to recruit some big D Tackles from south florida so we can stop getting pushed around up front. There was no pass rush all season..which made the secondary look even worse than they are.
LBs- slow and undersized...although inexperienced. Domenic Spencer played his heart out for us..but he just didn't have the intangibles. We have to recruit quicker linebackers. The group we have right now will improve..but how much faster are they really going to get? I think we have to recruit more at this position as well. Another thing I'd love to know is why we never really used Errol Clarke and Justin McDonald? McDonald was a stud early on at UCF..and Errol Clarke played a lot last year. And I can tell you right now they are better than the guys we used..what is that all about?
Secondary- I'll try to say it in the nicest way possible..this group is not good. I don't feel bad in saying it because these guys get to go to school for free..they can handle criticism from some random internet poster. Tre Neal has a ways to go..and one safety who I won't name didn't belong on a D1 football field. Why did we not use TJ Mutcherson???????????????He was our best defensive player when he saw the field. I'd love an answer on that actually. Hopefully Mike Rogers and Chris Williams can make an impact next season. As I've said before, I think Chris Williams is very talented.
Special Teams- solid..above average actually
I'm expecting a 3-9/4-8 season next year. The rebuild will not happen overnight. Part of the reason this year was such a shock is that we were spoiled previously. If you look at all the inexperience on our roster it was probably very biased to think we would be good this season. A lot of us fell for it. There's nothing wrong with high expectations though. There is NO EXCUSE for this program to go 0-12.
As far as stadium production goes..this is almost as bad as the team was this season.. The promotions/graphics/games are extremely cheesy at BHNS. The sound system and scoreboard are equally as bad. We really need a donor to step up and help get some quality equipment. Where is a donation from Brandon Marshall, Josh Sitton, Asante Samuel? You see donations at other programs. We made these guys. Brandon Marshall should LOVE UCF because if it wasn't for a position change he would be working a 9-5 as we speak.
Head Coaching Search
Go with Geoff Collins or Dino Babers. Personally I would choose Collins because of his UCF/Florida recruiting ties. However, Babers would probably produce a more exciting offense. Either way I am happy with the candidates.
As much as it sounds like a rant.. I'm optimistic for the future because I believe we have a solid president, a great campus, and an amazing recruiting base. We'll be back.
