Five Roster Management Questions for UCF Football

The off season brings key roster questions for the UCF Football program.

Brian Smith | Dec 29, 2021

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UCF Knights

ORLANDO - There will be valuable pieces to the 2021 UCF Football roster move on after the Knights defeated the Gators 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl to finish the season at 9-4. While every roster goes through change, the Knights have a great chance to replace quality players and be a good team again in 2022. It’s still going to take a concerted effort to find the pieces.

With the Transfer Portal available to UCF Football, the roster can adapt quickly to change. Gone are the days of waiting for players to develop while the team attempts to adjust on the fly when a player graduates, transfers, or suffers injury.

Inside The Knights believes that the following five questions are of high priority for the roster next season, and it will be interesting to see what the Knights can come up with to strengthen the roster based on the following questions.

How Does UCF Replace Isaiah Bowser if He Turns Pro?

This does not take a rocket scientist to figure out. Bowser changes how an entire game is played because he’s such a versatile player. Teams need to literally game plan for him when he’s available to play, and that opens the door for additional UCF skill players like Ryan O’Keefe, for instance, to make big plays while being single covered.

If Bowser does head off to the riches of the NFL, UCF probably has no need to add another running back in terms of numbers for the depth chart. There’s ample talent available behind Bowser. It’s just that having him back would solidify UCF as having one of the deeper running back depth charts in the country.

The bigger question, if Bowser does leave, becomes which UCF running back takes the lead role? That’s simply a question that needs to be worked out in spring football, during the summer months, and fall camp. If Bowser leaves, those are big shoes to fill.

How Does UCF Replace Kalia Davis?

Now that Davis has officially announced for the NFL, finding a replacement is somewhat subjective. Will UCF really find a suitable replacement for Davis, a rare three tech/defensive tackle that can rush the passer?

Uh, no. Those being available at the high school and/or junior college level are rare, and that’s also the case with the Transfer Portal.

There’s still the option to bring in another player. Keep in mind, UCF did not sign a high school defensive tackle. The Knights have extended a preferred walk-on opportunity to the following Broward County talent:

Blessed to receive a PWO to @UCF_Football @Coach_Martin95 @TheCribSouthFLA @DariusFerguso14 @StranFootball @larryblustein @SleeperAth1etes pic.twitter.com/zyTj8I0PG2
— SolomonDade (@solomondade1) December 24, 2021

That’s a start and Stranahan is an excellent school to make inroads with assuming Dade accepts the offer. There’s still the chance to add yet another defensive tackle that can at least help replace Davis.

That’s the realistic option here, and it’s very important that UCF is able to do that to add depth and possibly even a player that immediately enters the rotation next fall.

Does UCF Add More High School Recruits?

Generally speaking, how many more high school recruits sign with UCF is a mystery. Even offensive tackle commitment Leyton Nelson not being signed already is a question that seems a bit tenuous.

With that in mind, there are late bloomers and players that changed their minds before signing with a school that they originally committed to. While it's anyone's guess which player(s) are added to the high school signees, do not forget about UCF taking at least one more player from the prep ranks for the class of 2022.

Can the Knights Add an Impact Transfer Tight End?

Alec Holler did well during his first year as a scholarship tight end. In fact, he became the starter. For UCF to truly operate Head Coach Gus Malzahn’s system there needs to be at least another four tight ends on the roster with Holler’s talent level or higher.

It’s about numbers. Injuries happen, and players need to be rotated during a game to stay fresh. Being able to rotate tight ends would help solidify the UCF offense.

Coach Malzahn will run quite a few 12 personnel packages (one running back, two tight ends) when he has the right players on campus. UCF added Grant Stevens from the high school ranks, and now it needs to add at least one more player for next season.

Will UCF be Able to Land a Versatile Linebacker from the Transfer Portal?

One of the biggest additions to the 2021 roster was Bryson Armstrong. He came from the FCS level and did a fantastic job for UCF. He was also able to play multiple linebacker roles. Perhaps he comes back for 2022 (COVID Year). Maybe not. Either way, UCF needs more depth at linebacker.

With Tatum Bethune and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste returning, that’s a really good one-two punch. There is still a need for depth and another starter that’s a true linebacker that can play in space and cover like a defensive back (assuming Armstrong does not come back or struggles with his knee injury recovery).

If UCF is unable to find a player to fit this role it could force a safety into the hybrid linebacker spot. That’s a lot of physical pounding for a safety to play that close to the line of scrimmage during a 12 game regular season. UCF needs to add one more linebacker, and preferably two, via transfers.

It’s a position where attrition happens frequently, and being short handed can cost a team games. A player like Armstrong is hard to replace whether in 2022 or 2023, so the Knights need to work towards reaching that objective sooner than later.

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