2012 UCF Knights Preview

By Fred Perdue

Updated: July 9, 2012

UCF is counting down the days until it jumps to the Big East in 2013. Does that mean the Knights will remain idle in their final go-around in Conference USA? Hardly.

“Our goal every year is to win the conference championship, and it won’t change this year,” UCF coach George O’Leary said.

UCF isn’t just waiting with regard to its imminent conference change. The entire athletic department went into the summer awaiting word on NCAA sanctions for major recruiting violations committed by the football and men’s basketball programs. Those violations forced athletic director Keith Tribble and O’Leary’s wide receivers coach David Kelly to resign in November.

The NCAA trouble was just part of a tumultuous nine months in Orlando. At this time a year ago, UCF was the defending Conference USA champion and overwhelmingly favored to repeat. Furthermore, a reasonable non-conference schedule had some analysts predicting the Knights could go undefeated and become the first C-USA team to earn a BCS bowl bid.

2011 Record:  5-7

Head Coach: George O’Leary (New Hampshire ’69)

Record at school: 50-51 (8 years)

Career record: 102-84 (16 years)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off. Cord/QB’s:  Charlie Taaffe (Siena ’73)

Def. Cord: Jim Fleming (University of the South ’82)

 

Key Recruits: Offensive lineman Colby Watson (6-5, 320) is the top-rated prospect in the new batch of recruits. Another promising lineman is Christian Brown (6-5, 340), who de-committed from Georgia to sign with the Knights. Brown could end up playing on either the offensive or defensive line.

Offense: Sophomore Blake Bortles (6-4, 221) didn’t start a game in 2011, but by the end of the season he was “QB1″ in all but name. As a redshirt freshman, Bortles was playing more off the bench than the starter Godfrey. O’Leary may have allowed Godfrey to return to the team, but make no mistake, the starting quarterback job belongs to Bortles. Godfrey, meanwhile, is moving to wide receiver.

With no other healthy quarterbacks available this spring, O’Leary and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe did everything they could to challenge Bortles — whether by changing the tempo of the offensive in the middle of a series or digging deep into the playbook to evaluate his grasp of the system. Bortles passed every test. He looked sharp in the spring game, completing 27-of-45 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore Storm Johnson (6-1, 216) spent the 2011 season on the scout team after transferring from Miami. That’s the football equivalent of buying a souped up sports car but not being allowed to drive it for a year.

Johnson’s ready to go, and he boasts top-end speed and big-play ability that returning seniors Latavius Murray and Brynn Harvey cannot match. “The key was just to see what Storm could do this spring,” O’Leary said. “He got better and better, and there’s no question he’s in the mix and pushing Latavius for the job.”

Quincy McDuffie (5-10, 178) led the team in catches with 43 in 2011 despite battling an array of nagging lower-body injuries. J.J. Worton (6-2, 201) racked up 531 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and ranked second in receptions as a redshirt freshman. But his career looked to be in jeopardy after his arrest on charges of resisting arrest, battery and resisting an officer with violence. Suspended from all team activities this spring, Worton was on track for full reinstatement to the team after the legal process ran its course this summer.

Sophomore Rannell Hall (6-2, 191) made a splash last year on special teams, averaging 31.0 yards on kickoff returns and becoming the only true freshman to earn first-team All-CUSA honors in 2011. Hall has a good shot to make an impact in the passing game as well. He left spring drills entrenched in the rotation.

Two ACL tears have disrupted the career of fifth-year senior Rob Calabrese (6-2, 216), a converted quarterback. Calabrese returned to his original position this spring because there was no one to run the second-string offense. He’ll be back at receiver for fall camp.

UCF worked this spring to find a replacement for veteran tight end Adam Nissley, who was more of a blocker than a receiving threat. The top candidates are sophomore Justin Tukes (6-5, 246) and redshirt freshman Kevin Miller (6-4, 251). Both have the height to create potential matchup problems for the defense. Another option is freshman Cal Bloom (6-5, 235), a three-sport athlete for his Minnesota high school with good size and an interesting background; his father Wayne was a pro wrestler for more than a decade. Sophomore Rannell Hall (6-2, 191) made a splash last year on special teams, averaging 31.0 yards on kickoff returns and becoming the only true freshman to earn first-team All-CUSA honors in 2011. Hall has a good shot to make an impact in the passing game as well. He left spring drills entrenched in the rotation.

Two ACL tears have disrupted the career of fifth-year senior Rob Calabrese (6-2, 216), a converted quarterback. Calabrese returned to his original position this spring because there was no one to run the second-string offense. He’ll be back at receiver for fall camp.

UCF worked this spring to find a replacement for veteran tight end Adam Nissley, who was more of a blocker than a receiving threat. The top candidates are sophomore Justin Tukes (6-5, 246) and redshirt freshman Kevin Miller (6-4, 251). Both have the height to create potential matchup problems for the defense. Another option is freshman Cal Bloom (6-5, 235), a three-sport athlete for his Minnesota high school with good size and an interesting background; his father Wayne was a pro wrestler for more than a decade.

By all accounts, the offensive line improved more than any position group on the team during the spring. Some major reinforcements arrived over the summer, too. Transfer Phil Smith (6-5, 292) is able to play right away by capitalizing on the NCAA’s rule for athletes pursuing graduate degrees. A fifth-year senior, Smith started 20 games for Georgia Tech before getting suspended before the Sun Bowl and later dismissed for a violation of team rules.

Sophomore Torrian Wilson (6-4, 306) and junior Chris Martin (6-5, 294) split time starting at left tackle last season. Wilson has the lead heading into fall camp, after Martin was suspended from spring practice for a violation of team rules.

Among the returnees, fifth-year senior center Jordan Rae (6-2, 275) has the most experience and the most talent. A Rimington Award watch list selection, Rae heads into 2012 with a 25-game starting streak. Theo Goins (6-4, 317), another fifth-year senior, returns at left guard. Juniors Justin McCray (6-4, 309) and Jordan McCray (6-4, 310) — who are twin brothers — left spring practice as the starters at right tackle and right guard, respectively. “I think there’s a bunch of guys competing and pushing the first-stringers for jobs, which is what I like,” O’Leary said. “We like to run the rock, and the more guys that can move the line of scrimmage, the better off you are.”

The list of challengers includes redshirt freshmen Tarik Cook (6-3, 280) and Joey Grant (6-4, 278), gigantic sophomore Tony Jacob (6-8, 342), and juniors Rey Cunha (6-3, 286) and Kelly Davison (6-5, 290).

 

Defense: New defensive line coach Blaise Winter, a first-time collegiate coach, traveled as a motivational speaker after his nine-year career in the NFL ended. Maybe he can inspire the Knights to do a better job getting to the quarterback; UCF ranked 100th nationally in sacks.

Senior Troy Davis and junior Victor Gray should carry this group. Davis (6-2, 249) notched five of the Knights’ 16 sacks in 2011. Already known for being one of the team’s most vocal players on the field, Davis tried to step up as a leader during the offseason.

Gray (6-4, 267) started all 12 games at tackle in 2011 but, after the change in coordinators, will spend time at tackle and end this season. Gray is certainly thinking big; this spring, he told reporters in Orlando that one of his goals is to win the C-USA defensive player-of-the-year award.

There’s plenty of beef at tackle. Juniors Josh Wofford (6-1, 298) and E.J. Dunston (6-2, 298) combined to make seven starts last season, and O’Leary thought that both improved significantly this spring.

Jose Jose (6-2, 355), a junior, probably needs to shed a few pounds before the season opener. The Miami native actually has been in trouble with UCF twice — once for a weapons charge that got him released from his scholarship, and again for the reported verbal altercation with his head coach. Jose came back in time to go through the final week of spring practice.

Sophomore Andrew Rice (6-2, 268) has yet to play in a game for UCF, but he impressed the coaching staff during the spring. Rice isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but neither is Gray, who has become a key contributor.

The most intriguing member of the linebacking corps has played just two seasons of competitive football in the last eight years. Ray Shipman (6-5, 242) instead focused on basketball, signing at Florida after winning Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year in the Sunshine State as a high-school senior in 2008. Shipman played two seasons with the Gators before transferring to UCF. Shipman might be a fifth-year senior in eligibility but he’s still a relative greenhorn on the gridiron.

Sophomore Troy Gray (6-1, 207) made the all-conference freshman team last season. Senior Jonathan Davis (5-9, 202) made the move from running back to linebacker last year and the new surroundings paid off; he racked up 44 tackles and a team-high 10.5 stops for loss.

Sophomore Terrance Plummer (6-1, 228), like Gray, claimed a starting job as a true freshman. Plummer continues to lead the way at middle linebacker.

Seniors D.J. Williams (6-1, 222) and Ray Cottman (6-2, 225) also are in the mix.

O’Leary thinks the opportunity exists for a true freshman to follow in the footsteps of Plummer and Gray and carve out immediate playing time. Incoming rookies Stanley Sylverain (6-2, 210) and Domenic Spencer (5-11, 215) both have the talent to do so.

UCF suffered a blow when cornerback Josh Robinson decided to turn pro early and got drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings. Robinson was a ball hawk who broke up 15 passes last season and 36 for his career — the second-highest total in team history. The Knights will miss his presence at cornerback.

Of this season’s defensive backs, senior free safety Kemal Ishmael (5-11, 206) is the best of the bunch. He heads into his final season with a streak of 35 consecutive starts, and he led the team in tackles the last two years. Sophomore Clayton Geathers (6-3, 204) mans the strong safety spot, where he ranked second on the team in tackles (67) as a redshirt freshman.

The UCF defense missed A.J. Bouye (6-0, 186) at cornerback after he blew out his knee in the seventh game of last season. Without Bouye, the Knights gave up nearly 900 passing yards and 92 points over a three-game span that knocked UCF out of bowl eligibility. Bouye is back for his senior year, and while he sat out spring practice recovering from his injury, he should be good to go by August.

Sophomore corner Jordan Ozerities, a former selection to the all-conference freshman team, sat out 2011 because of injury and was suspended from spring drills. O’Leary reinstated Ozerities (5-10, 191) in May, and the Mount Dora, Fla., native is in store for some major playing time.

 

 

Sp. Teams:

Sophomore Shawn Moffitt (6-0, 176) came to UCF as a preferred walk-on and immediately got some chances in the kicking game behind departed senior Nick Cattoi. If Moffitt is going to take over as the full-time placekicker, he needs to develop better range. Moffitt didn’t make a field goal beyond 40 yards.

Sophomore Sean Galvin (6-2, 214), a native of Cork, Ireland, is pushing Moffitt. O’Leary said he feels better about UCF’s kicking game than he did at this time a year ago.

Senior Jamie Boyle (5-10, 194) has emerged as the heir apparent to replace David Bohner, who averaged 41.2 yards per attempt in 2011. Boyle has never tried a punt in a collegiate game, however.

Analysis

UCF has an intriguing collection of talent. If this hodgepodge of personnel can come together as a team, the Knights could reclaim their status as a top contender in Conference USA. Reaching that level depends on leadership and team chemistry, two qualities that were lacking during UCF’s 5-7 nosedive last season.

“I always tell the seniors you’re only as good as your senior class,” O’Leary said. “This class reminds me a lot of the 2010 team as far as attitude & they’re not all the best players, but collectively they’re the best leadership we’ve had.”

That 2010 team was the most successful in UCF history. If the Knights can even approach that status, they’ll be feeling pretty good about themselves as they transition to the Big East.

2012 Season Prediction: 8-4




 

 

 

 

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