Bracing for Boise, Malzahn's shot at recruiting lore and how UCF became Drip-U 💧
Gus Malzahn, in his first full year, has chance at breaking UCF recruiting class history and we lead the nation in uniform swag, which should be an official statistic.
Anybody else blasting Zombie Nation today? Finally, we bounce 🏟️! I can’t wait to see ya’ll in the Cabana tonight. It’s been nearly two years since I’ve been to a game at the Bounce House, so fam, I’ll be excited to see you!
Let’s get to it ⚡🔛
Today’s read is 6 minutes ⏲️
Bracing for Boise: Depth chart is out 🏈
Gus Malzahn has been coy about naming starters or diving into the depth chart ahead of the Boise State game, so we had to wait until Wednesday to see who’s starting. We finally got it, so let’s break down the key nuggets.
Full depth chart is at this link (page 15).
1️⃣ The biggest surprise: UCF pass rusher Tre’mon Morris-Brash isn’t on the two-deep depth chart or even listed on the roster, and now we know why.
He was arrested for DUI on campus early Sunday morning, according to UCFSports.com.
Morris-Brash appeared in all 10 games last season, starting four of them.
“I am aware of the situation involving Tre’mon Morris-Brash,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel. “We are dealing with it appropriately.”
2️⃣ Who’s starting at running back? Northwestern transfer Isaiah Bowser gets the nod, but this is definitely the key position group to watch on offense as the season evolves.
This year there’s no Otis Anderson or Greg McCrae, who graduated. Bentavious Thompson was kicked off the team and RJ Harvey suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp.
So Bowser wins the job, but he’s certainly deserving after 23 games in the Big Ten, rushing for seven touchdowns.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnny Richardson, who’s the No. 2 back, forces his way onto the field. Kid’s a burner.
3️⃣ Most intriguing backup: We’ve heard the buzz about true freshman quarterback Mikey Keene, but apparently he impressed Malzahn enough to earn the No. 2 spot behind Dillon Gabriel.
Keene enrolled early at UCF and played really well during the spring game, throwing for 99 yards and a touchdown. He continued that momentum in fall camp.
Orlando native Quadry Jones will likely serve as the No. 3 quarterback
4️⃣ What’s the “Buck” and “Knight” positions? The depth chart features two new “positions” on defense which is the The Buck and The Knight.
The Buck: It’s a hybrid linebacker/defensive end, who can pass rush, depending on whether it’s a three-or-four-man front or a four-man front along the defensive line. Malzahn used the term at Auburn.
Auburn transfer and All-SEC defensive end Big Kat Bryant will start at The Buck, with Landon Woodson backing him up.
The Knight: An athletic, do-it-all type position featuring a player who’s versatile defensively and can line up anywhere.
Kennesaw State transfer Bryson Armstrong starts at The Knight, and it’s understandable why. He was a tackling machine in the FCS level.
5️⃣ Kicking conundrum: Malzahn was honest with us this week about the kicking battle, which still apparently isn’t settled. Appalachian State transfer Ryker Casey and Daniel Obarski have the dreaded “OR” between their names for placekicker.
Obarski’s whiff against Memphis in 2020 will forever be seared into my soul, and there’s no doubt he struggled to regain his confidence, missing on anything longer than 38 yards last season. He was also shaky in the spring game, so he’s got to figure out how to get past the yips.
Casey is a New Smyrna Beach native, so he’s closer to home now. Only issue is he’s never attempted a collegiate field goal, so we’ll see how he looks when the pressure is on.
UCF’s own ‘Hard Knocks’ ▶️: ESPN+ will premiere an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Gus Malzahn’s first season with UCF as they chronicle the 2021 season. It’s called “Our Time: UCF Football” and there will be weekly episodes, premiering Thursday, Sept. 9.
Here’s a look at the trailer that UCF and ESPN+ dropped 🔥
Here is the full schedule for the 12 episodes of "Our Time: UCF Football”:
Sept. 9, 16 and 23
Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28
Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25
Dec. 2
Trending in the Kingdom: Hair is officially on fire 🔥
There’s something special brewing with UCF’s 2022 recruiting class. It has the potential to be historically special, especially if the momentum continues after Gainsville (Fla.) Buchholz wide receiver Quan Lee’s commitment on Tuesday night.
Here’s the scoop: Lee became UCF’s 12th commitment of the 2022 class. He decommitted from Miami in May and made multiple trips to UCF in June, including an official visit. Michigan was the latest high-profile program to offer the three-star wide receiver, who also reported offers from Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Nebraska and Tennessee. His 13 touchdown catches were tied for the third most in the state of Florida among high schoolers last season.
Back when he was introduced as UCF’s head coach in February, Gus Malzahn made a promise to “recruit Florida like nobody else.”
Well, he’s delivering 👏
“We're going to recruit like our hair is on fire,” Malzahn said during his introductory presser. “We're going to go after the best players in America and we're not backing down to anybody. We've got a lot to offer here. We're going to put together a staff that will be able to do that.
“The unique thing about this is the last eight years, the footprint we'll be recruiting in, I've already got experience. I already know the top players, already know the coaches and everything that goes on. Florida will be our priority.”
Keeping them home 🌴: He’s backing that talk up. Lee is UCF’s 9th commitment from the state of Florida, out of 12 in total. The three others from out of state are QB Thomas Castellanos (Georgia), ATH Tyler Griffin (Georgia) and OL Caden Kitler (Texas).
Josh Heupel didn’t have the same in-state recruiting mentality.
UCF’s Florida signees, by class (according to Rivals.com)
2021: 5 (of 20)
2020: 12 (of 20)
2019: 13 (of 22)
2018: 11 (of 20)
2017: 15 (of 22)
2016: 12 (of 21)
Of UCF’s last six signing classes, 54 percent of those that enrolled were from Florida, the country’s most fertile recruiting grounds.
Just for comparison’s sake, let’s take a look around the state during the same timeframe. Here’s how other programs fared in the Sunshine State talent department:
USF Bulls: 77 percent
Miami Hurricanes: 69 percent
Florida Gators: 60 percent
Florida State Seminoles: 58 percent
USF’s percentage is astronomically high, but they’ve also been consistent with their “Bay Made” pitch, luring a ton of Tampa-area talent to stay home and play for the Bulls. Overall though, every major program has been better than UCF in this department, so there was room for improvement.
A chance at history 👀: Malzahn’s 2022 class is currently ranked No. 48 in the country after Lee’s commitment. That’s ahead of Power 5 schools like NC State (49), Washington (50), Maryland (57), Iowa (60), TCU (61) and (gulp) Nebraska (65).
What’s significant here is that UCF has finished in the Top 50 class rankings just twice over the last 20 years.
Their highest class ranking ever, according to the 247Sports team rankings, came in 2002, when they finished with the 41st best class in the country.
Malzahn has a legitimate shot, if he closes strong, to eclipse that ranking and claim the best class (on paper) in program history. We’ll see how it shakes out.
How UCF became Drip-U 💧
Color me biased, but there’s no better looking team in college football than UCF, especially with the addition of the space uniforms. Step aside Oregon, because the Knights have slowly cemented themselves as Drip-University, given their bevy of uniform combinations, and we’re certainly not mad about it.
Fill me in 💧: On Thursday, UCF will wear the ultra-clean white, black, white uniform combination for its “blackout” game against Boise State in primetime. It’s a classic look, which as you can see in the clip below, will pop on ESPN for the nationally-televised season opener.
Noteworthy ✍️: UCF hasn’t worn this exact uniform combination since November of 2016, when they lost to Tulsa, 35-20, in Orlando. McKenzie Milton was held without a touchdown in the game, which was quite rare during his UCF tenure.
UCF’s record while wearing portions of this combo, per UCFKnights.com:
White Helmet: 13-4
Black Pegasus Jersey: 11-5
White Pants: 10-5
White/Black/White: 0-1
The last time they wore this combo was 52 games ago. Since that loss, UCF has gone 41-10 and their climb back to the top of college football came amid a blitz of new, unique threads. It’s helped solidify the brand as futuristic and forward-thinking in what’s long been an antiquated sport.
Here’s a few #UCFun facts on Thursday’s fit ✔️:
This is the first time UCF will wear black jerseys in a season opener since 2013
UCF is 10-2 all-time when going with white lids in a season opener
The Knights have donned white helmets in every home opener since 2007 except last season
This is the 51st unique look the team has worn since the complete uniform redesign in 2016. They like to switch it up, too. UCF has now worn seven new looks in its last 10 games.
Apparently, there’s 64 uniform combinations to choose from, so they still haven’t worn every possibility available.
How’d this all start? We’ve got Scott Frost to thank, honestly, for his relationship with Nike founder Phil Knight while he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon. The Ducks have long been regarded as the vanguards of the swag game, even debuting new uniforms for the 2021 season. When Frost arrived at UCF in 2016, he made it clear he’d be bringing a new look with him.
“I called Phil Knight, he’s been great to me my entire career at the University of Oregon. When we got to Orlando, I can’t tell you how many messages we got about changing the uniforms, putting names on the back of the jerseys, getting up to speed with current looks that football players want to wear and Phil was great,” Frost said in May of 2016. “We’re going to get a lot of things from Nike and he’s going to do a lot of stuff for us.”
“I want our guys to feel good about what they’re coming out of the tunnel wearing on Saturdays. I think it’s important. It gives you some confidence. It makes you feel good, something you can be proud of when you’re sporting the school’s colors. As much as anything it’s important for recruiting.”
Nike spent time analyzing UCF’s old uniform kit, and then weaved in the black, gold, white and anthracite look into its Mach Speed uniform chassis as the base. Boom, the new era of East Orlando swag was born.
UCF and Nike first formed a partnership for the 2010 football season (thanks Marcus Jordan 🙏🏻), and adjusted the uniforms in 2013, then changed it up again in 2016, but the school’s deal with the massive apparel company is up soon.
The agreement runs through 2022, so we’ll see if the relationship gets renewed.
UCF was just under 8 million in merchandise sales in 2019, which was an 83 percent increase from 2014. Nike has certainly contributed to that spike.
“Our apparel deal is up,” AD Terry Mohajir said at a recent Board of Trustees meeting. “We have won more year left and this is really important as we take this to market.”
Space U 🚀: One of the best parts of the rebrand has been the space uniforms, which have evolved over the years. The 2020 space uniforms were, in my opinion, the best version yet, but their 2019 edition won UNISWAG’s Uniform of the Year award.
Deeper Dive 🤿:
Ranking the best uniforms in UCF history (Knightsportsnow.com)
UCF Football Uniforms Have Become A ‘Thing’ (UCFKnights.com)
UCF’s wearing SPACE uniforms again, this time with CITRONAUT (SBNation.com)
UCF Knights Unveil New Space-Themed Alternate Uniforms (Sportslogos.net)
Okay, before we get to kickoff, I’ve got to share this epic poem courtesy of my friend Matt Corey. He sent it to me last night. It’ll get you pumped for game day 🤣
Twas the night before UCF football and all through O-town
Not a Knight was stirring, as they dreamed about tomorrow, no one could frown
You see we lost our AD and Head Coach – but we weren’t fussed
We ended up in a better position with TMo and Gus
2021 marks a year when the Knights look to get back to the top of the AAC
This is the chance for DG to get his first ring in Year 3
All summer the Knights worked together as one team
Learning Gus new offense and TWills aggressive defensive schemes
Without a doubt there will be new faces on both sides of the ball
With the opportunity for young talent that have been waiting for their number to be called
The DLine looks to get back to form pressuring the QB’s and getting sacks
Lead by our new captain and leader – the Big Kat
The ball will spread out to receivers who look to leave opposing corners gashed
Defenders will be left in the dust by the speed of Flash
The Knights are back our opponents are doomed
Can you hear it coming? Here comes the BOOM
Tomorrow marks the day when the Bounce House will be back to being noisy
As we all can’t wait to get back home and beat the crap out of Boise
And with that, let’s go ⚡🔛