UCF Knights Gained Talented QB with Dylan Rizk
Having seen the junior film for Dylan Rizk, and watched him play live multiple times, the question was not whether he could play at the Power 5 level.
It’s how quickly the 6-foot-2 and 210-pound signal caller could make the improvements to be a key contributor at that level. It’s not easy to be a quarterback in the Big 12, the conference UCF joins in 2023.
To be consistently successful, traits like arm strength, durability, and mobility have been among the most important for quarterbacks that were successful in the Big 12 the past several years.
Rizk, from Delray Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons, was trending in those directions before his final year of prep football began. His senior season also saw him take additional steps forward.
For one, his arm strength has shown to be better. That’s a great sign because he will have more chances to make those tight throws that keep an offense on the field when attempting to convert third down situations.
To go along with it, he’s done an even better job with accuracy as well. As an example, Rizk led receivers during crossing routes that gave them room to create chunk-yardage plays. Any chance to change the scoreboard with one pass must be made. Cannot get those back. Rizk delivered many of those passes, based on his film.
Along the way this season, his film also showed him taking a lot of hits but he still continued to get up and go back to the huddle. He’s been tough. He’ll need to be, as the run-pass option game, by itself, will see Rizk take quite a bit of contact in Gus Malzahn's offense.
Coming soon… pic.twitter.com/PhjizOCJ9G
— DYLAN RIZK (@dylanrizk11) December 11, 2022
He also took off during draw plays and scrambles to make extra yards. That's a valuable trait for a modern quarterback. It was also great to see him make some of those long runs while opposing players just could not quite get to him. He’s not a burner, but Rizk won his fair share of foot races that got him to the corner and beyond.
That speed also helped Rizk get outside the pocket, allowing receivers more time to separate, and he delivered numerous strikes. Those were really hard throws for Rizk to make.
Overall, Rizk continued to take strides with his passing and running. Going to be fun to see him move on to UCF and see what he can do.
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