UCF Football: John Rhys Plumlee is key to Knights’ success in 2023
UCF football will be joining the Big 12 in 2023 and the Knights have one key weapon up their sleeve — quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.
When you think of dynamic quarterbacks in college football, the name of UCF football starter John Rhys Plumlee might not be the first that comes to mind.
But it should be one of the first and after the 2023 UCF football season, there’s a good chance it will be.
247 Sports put out a list recently of the most dynamic athletes at quarterback and Rhys Plumlee topped it (No. 1), even though it led to some disagreement on social media.
The list wasn’t the best quarterback or even the best dual-threat quarterback. It was asking who is the best athlete playing quarterback.
Rhys Plumlee certainly has a good case to make. He rushed for over 800 yards last season for UCF football and scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. That was in addition to throwing 14 touchdown passes. He also threw for over 2,500 yards and completed 63 percent of his passes.
What’s the expectation in 2023 for UCF football?
It’s interesting with UCF because it feels like if the Knights weren’t in the Big 12, they would get talked about as a New Year’s Six Bowl contender.
I’m not convinced that the Knights won’t be a contender in the Big 12, especially if Rhys Plumlee can take another step forward and have a Bo-Nix-type season (for Oregon) in 2023.
I don’t see why he couldn’t account for over 30 total touchdowns next season for UCF. The offense should be dynamic once again under Gus Malzahn and this is their chance to prove themselves in a Power-5 league again.
The defense is going to be a major question mark for the Knights and might be the difference between UCF football contending in the Big 12 next season and being stuck in the middle of the pack.
Rhys Plumlee seems poised for a breakout season, one where he establishes himself as one of the best quarterbacks in not just the Big 12, but the country.
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If that happens, keep an eye on the Knights this season. They might not have the depth and talent to take on Texas or Oklahoma, but with an elite QB, a lot can happen in college football and while he’s not talked about enough, Rhys Plumlee has elite potential in 2023.