UCF's Ryan O'Keefe to the Transfer Portal
Two days in a row the UCF Knights have been hit with some tough Transfer Portal news, as yesterday saw Mikey Keene take his talents elsewhere.
Today, it’s wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe. He has one more year of eligibility due to the 2020 COVID-19 season not counting against his eligibility. This season O’Keefe caught 73 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns, as well as rushing for 222 yards. O’Keefe even returned kickoffs.
✌🏾💛 pic.twitter.com/753SD9EYLb
— Ryan O’Keefe (@RyanOKeefe23) December 5, 2022
There are immediate and long-term ramifications, as well as opportunities for younger players.
First, the Armed Forces Bowl against Duke will be more difficult without O’Keefe. There was no doubt about that. He leaves less depth, experience, and explosiveness on the roster. That’s the Transfer Portal era though, as it gives and takes away.
UCF must restock the slot receiver position for the bowl game and for the 2023 season. True freshman Xavier Townsend has been O’Keefe’s backup and will certainly be the leading candidate to gain reps against Duke, at the very least.
By next fall, Townsend needs to have multiple other players capable of making an impact at the same position. Fellow true freshman Quan Lee should be one candidate at slot receiver, and it’s a good bet that the Knights find at least one Transfer Portal addition of their own that can at least play slot receiver part time.
The one concern here is that UCF has not secured the commitment of any wide receiver for the class of 2023. At least the Knights have not yet. That could soon change with the upcoming Dec. 21 National Signing Day. Look for a wild finish to the first National Signing Day.
Lastly, good luck to O’Keefe. He was a heck of a player for the UCF football program. Great guy with the media, too.
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