An impact player since his freshman season and two-time team captain, UCF defensive end Josh Celiscar enters his fourth season wearing the Black & Gold. We caught up with the Winter Haven native earlier this week as the Knights continued preparations for Thursday's season opener against Kent State.
Celiscar said the excitement was building leading up to Thursday.
"Once you get to this point, you get all the butterflies and get all the excitement," Celiscar said. "Then once you get your first feel of contact here, oh it's football, we back into it. So I'm excited."
"I'm excited for all the guys to go out there and just do what they do and just play football."
Celiscar is expecting a big season from defensive tackle Lee Hunter. The biggest difference from last year?
"His motor," Celiscar said. "Lee always has this thing when he tells me, 'I wanna run to the football like you Josh.' I'll be like, yeah, it's just you getting in shape and you being who you are.
"We've watched the tape of him at practice and he's running to the football, he's being physical with a whole bunch of guards and centers. At practice in pass rush, se's developed way more and has so many moves in his repertoire right now. I feel like Big Lee's gonna have a great season this year."
The entire defensive line boasts experience when you factor in Ricky Barber and Tre'Mon Morris-Brash.
"I feel like we can be real good," Celiscar said. "I feel like we can be like the best in the country. With the experience we got up front with Drop having so many snaps, Ricky having so many snaps and me having so many snaps, it's like we have a lot of experience up front. And then with Big Lee contributing to everything, we're gonna come together and hopefully be a contender to be the best d-line in the country."
The defensive depth chart included a pair of true freshmen, defensive end Kaven Call and defensive tackle John Walker.
"From Kaven, I've seen a lot of growth in his game," Celiscar said. "As far as coming in, being young and not knowing what to do, he's caught up to everything. He's gonna be all right.
"And then with John Walker, he's just a physical specimen. Inside, we're gonna have him and we're gonna have Big Lee. Those two guys are guys that can contribute really well."
He's also expecting big things from redshirt sophomore Malachi Lawrence.
"Malachi has taken a step from last year to this year," Celiscar said. "I've been so proud of him. He's gonna give us a lot of help at my position."
What's the mentality of this defense?
"The mentality has always been keeping the standard and not changing at all," Celiscar said. "Like being physical, being dominant, running to the football, being relentless. So the defense, we really take our pride on just keeping the standard and standard is not changing. Not going below it and not being too high on it either. It's just us being more attentive to detail and doing our jobs."
John Rhys Plumlee had just told the media about his pregame playlists, which includes rap and country. Does Celiscar have a similar routine?
"Before a game, I don't really have any crazy superstitions," Celiscar said. "I'd say music. I have to sneak at least one gospel song in and pray a little bit. That's probably my main thing.
"I get on my phone with my older brother and my older sister. We pray a lot to make sure they're good. My oldest brother, he's always the high point, always telling me, 'Boy, you about to have a great game. I'm excited, I'm ready to watch you play.' It's just knowing that he's watching, that gives me the confidence to go out there and do my thing."
Celiscar's older brother Donald is the secondary coach at Western Michigan.
