Setting the foundation was the goal in Week 1

Within only three days of practice, head coach Scott Frost has made it clear what he expects to see out of his new team. Effort and basic fundamentals. Frost stressed that his expectations were relatively low this first week of spring practice, so there was no surprise when players showed some sloppiness on the field. 

“We got some good things and just a bunch of sloppiness that we gotta clean up, but that’s why we practice,” Frost said in a post-practice press conference.

Despite the slow start, there are still some things Knights fans should keep an eye out for as spring football progresses. 

The Quarterback Battle

• First and foremost, coaches have made it clear that everything is still up in the air when it comes to who will earn the starting position at quarterback. 

• While the battle still may be up in the air, it’s no secret that redshirt junior out of Indiana, Tayven Jackson, could be a contender. 

• Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper said that the most important job for a potential starting quarterback is to make the right decisions and make the players around him better. 

Veterans vs. Newcomers

• Coaches have emphasized that all players are getting equal opportunities to show their abilities, no matter their level of experience.

• Still, coaches have pointed out some veterans who have been stepping up as leaders, such as fifth-year offensive lineman Paul Rubelt and redshirt senior running back Myles Montegomery.

• Freshman running back Taevion Swint has been missing in action for reasons unknown. 

• Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said he’s pleased with the work ethic of two freshmen defensive backs, Tony Williams and Rukeem Stroud.

A Tale of Two Tight Ends

• Cooper has mentioned that junior tight end Dylan Wade, who transferred from Maryland, and sophomore tight end Kylan Fox have different sets of skills in their positions.

• Cooper emphasized blocking as a key trait he is looking for from his tight ends.

• According to Fox, he feels like he’s a strong blocker, while Wade mentioned that he is good in the run game, and catching the ball.

• Both players agreed that their skill sets compliment each other well, and are on their way to building a strong bond with one another.

Safety Standouts

• Redshirt junior defensive back Demari Henderson is back at full health and is ready to put in the work to re-establish himself as a key defensive player.

• Redshirt junior defensive back out of FAU, Phillip Dunnum, had two interceptions on day one, and one on day two of practice.

• Grinch says that safeties still have a long way to go.

In the quarterback battle, it is still of course, all pretty much up in the air. However, based on practice, some may want to keep an eye out for Tayven Jackson. Sons of UCF reporter Nick Williams observed that the redshirt junior out of Indiana looked comfortable in the pocket and had a few deep balls with great placement.

Although Jackson’s performance in practice may be intriguing, when it comes to what the coaches are looking for out of a starting QB, it’s much less about the quality of play during the first week. 

“The quarterback has got a million jobs, but for me the most important one is making the right decisions and making the guys around you better,” Cooper said in a post-practice press conference.

For freshmen first impressions, Frost says he sees flashes of what they are going to be in between a bunch of mistakes. Nonetheless, they are still being given the same opportunities as the seasoned veterans of the team.

Looking at the running back room, Williams further reported that it was Montgomery and redshirt senior Jaden Nixon getting the most touches for running plays. Freshman recruit Taevion Swint was limited during practices for reasons unknown.

When talking about the young players on the team, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said “The transition from high school to college is a major adjustment. I certainly think they’re working, the ‘want-to’s’ are there, and time will tell.”

Cooper spent a good amount of time with tight ends Dylan Wade and Kylan Fox. Cooper says that each guy has his own set of unique traits, but they compliment each other well.

“I feel like he might be a better blocker than me,” Wade said about Fox in a post-practice press conference.

“He’s like a hybrid tight end as well, good pass catcher and good in the run game as well,” Fox said about Wade in a post-practice press conference.

When it comes to who will ultimately lead, Cooper says it will all come back to the basic fundamentals, mainly blocking. 

Over on the defensive side of things, Grinch also says it’s too early to know who to expect the most from. However it was defensive back Phillip Dunnam who seemed to make an impression, with two interceptions on day one of practice and one on day two. Despite his success in practice, the redshirt junior out of FAU says that he can’t get too comfortable just yet.

“I can’t be comfortable with temporary results, I got to be committed to the process,” Dunnam said in a post-practice press conference.

Another safety who had eyes on him during practices was Demari Henderson. The redshirt junior is ready to “knock the dust off” coming off of an injury that caused him to miss his sophomore season.

“This is a new team, new coach, so I wouldn’t say I’m like a leader right now, but I’m working towards it,” Henderson said in a post-practice press conference.

For all safeties, Grinch said that on day one, he was feeling good, but after day two, he realizes that they have a long way to go.

Frost said that building a cohesive team out of so many new players and coaches will be a challenge. While there are some returnees who know one another, with so many new faces, it’s a fresh start for a team that went 4-8.

Despite the unfamiliarity, Frost isn’t worried about his team adapting to the fundamentals. Frost and the rest of the coaching staff’s main expectation for the first week of practice was a show of effort from his players.

“We can fix the technique and the little things, that’s our job as coaches. We can’t fix effort.” Frost said.

“One of the big things is to create the expectation from an effort standpoint as well as an execution standpoint. Effort’s not extra.” Grinch said.

“I think the most important thing is getting the right effort and attitude,” Cooper said.

It’s pretty much been established all around that the work ethic of everyone on the field has been outstanding, and the play execution was to be expected from an almost all new team. 

What’s Next?

• The next practices that are open to the public will be on April 5th and April 11th

• UCF recently announced that a different assistant coach will be speaking to the media after practice. This is a change from the policy under previous head coach Gus Malzahn. 

During Spring break, coaches plan to take a closer look at tapes of practices and further evaluate who to move forward with and where to go from here. Meanwhile, players will enjoy their week off from practice, and prepare to get back to work in the coming weeks.

All Photos Courtesy Matt Turman