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UCF Football: Knights out to prove they’re here to stay in 2019

By Kyle Grondin

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 01: Defensive back Brandon Moore #20 of the UCF Knights returns an interception 93-yards for a touchdown during the first quarter of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl between LSU and Central Florida at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 01: Defensive back Brandon Moore #20 of the UCF Knights returns an interception 93-yards for a touchdown during the first quarter of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl between LSU and Central Florida at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Defense searching for more consistency in 2019

Central Florida’s defense comes into 2019 after a Jekyll and Hyde season in 2018. They had games where they would fly around the ball, including smothering ACC Coastal champion Pitt early in the season, but then they can also get torched by Temple in the same season. The difference will be some consistency up front in 2019.

The Knights’ front-four has a lot of question marks, after losing the bulk of their players on roster, including all four of their defensive tackles. Brendon Hayes is the only returning starter and Randy Charlton looks to start at the other end position.

The defensive line, as a whole, loses four of its top tacklers. Josh Heupel knew this and dedicated a lot of his offseason attention to the defensive line, as he brought in eight new defensive linemen from transfers and recruiting, including highly rated recruit Cam Goode, who transferred from Virginia Tech. He’ll take on an important role right away at defensive tackle.

The linebackers come in as a strong unit. Nate Evans was an All-AAC first-team player, finishing with 10 tackles for loss last season. He’s joined by junior Eric Mitchell at the other outside linebacker, as both were starters last season. Pat Jusinski was the heart and soul of the Knights defense last season, and losing him in the middle will hurt, but Eriq Gilyard, a highly rated recruit, had five tackles for loss in a limited role last season, he could make an immediate impact on the roster.

Finally, UCF’s defensive strength comes in the secondary. They ranked in the top 30 in incompletion rate in the country, and helped the team to the second best red zone defense in the nation.

They also bring back the core of the secondary, with corner backs Nevelle Clark and Brandon Moore returning along with free safety Richie Grant. The latter, in particular, is a star in the making who can give in both the pass and run. He’s going to find himself wealthy in the NFL one day with his skill set. These three combined for 26 passes defended in 2018, and should continue to frustrate some lackluster passing attacks.

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