UCF Knights Gaining Top Pass Rusher in Kaven Call
Watching a young and talented Kaven Call in 2020 showed promise for what he could do. It was a game against a Altamonte Springs (Lake Brantley) team that was quite frankly overmatched against Apopka High School, with Call being a prime reason why.
He played that game along the interior to help thwart Lake Brantley’s trip-option attack. Call showed a physical presence with a low base, good leg drive, and he hustled to the football when the ball went to the perimeter.
He was not a player with a plethora of moves or overall understanding of what to do just yet. Call was in the beginning stages of becoming more of a pass-rushing technician. Further, he was not even playing defensive end full time as defensive tackle was part of his repertoire. That game did not, however, represent Call’s long-term football position.
Defensive end will be where he plays during his college career for UCF. It’s good that before that career starts that Call has learned a lot during his time at Apopka, a program that’s football history is well known throughout the state and the South. He’s coming to play for the Knights about as well prepared as a high school defensive end can be.
He’s matured on and off the gridiron. From a conversation with him prior to the game, he knew what to expect from his opponent. That’s a good sign of him learning the overall game of football by way of studying the opponent. There’s more he will continue to improve upon as well.
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After arriving at UCF and continuing to add more moves, plus a little more time in the weight room, the 6-foot-2 and 245-pound edge defender is going to be terrorizing quarterbacks just like he did at the prep level.
Watching him this past Thursday against Orlando (Olympia) provided evidence that Call has upped his game. When he lined up in a 5 or 7 Technique at defensive end, he came after the opposing signal with passion.
Firing off the snap of the football, Call took direct steps towards the offensive tackle to close the gap as quickly as possible before going into a pass-rush move. Call used excellent leverage combined with quick hands to knock away the opposing tackle attempting to block him.
Several times he made his way into the backfield that led to the quarterback needing to move his feet and/or flee from the pocket. When a quarterback is uncomfortable, that’s when turnovers often happen.
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— Yonde Ladiosa💋♍️ (@LadiosaYonde) October 7, 2022
Call’s hustle, combined with that rip move seen in the video above among other moves he showed, make him a talented pass rusher. Call has gone from a talented and raw prospect from two seasons ago to one that’s prepared mentally and physically to get after the quarterback. His maturation process has been fun to watch, and there’s more to come.
UCF fans should expect to see much of the same effort to get better and chase quarterbacks at the college level once he’s inside FBC Mortgage Stadium representing the Knights.
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