Terrance Plummer is the leader of a stingy UCF defense. (Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports)
LOCATION: Orlando, Fla.
COACH: George O’Leary — At UCF: 72-56, 10 years; overall, 124-89, 17 years
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Charlie Taaffe
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Tyson Summers
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2013, AAC
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2011
RETURNING STARTERS: 16; 6 offense, 8 defense, kicker, punter
PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Rannell Hall, WR J.J. Worton, WR Breshad Perriman, C Joey Grant, DE Thomas Niles, LB Terrance Plummer, CB Jacoby Glenn, SS Clayton Geathers
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: A defense that held high-scoring Baylor to 10 points under its season average in UCF’s bowl win returns eight starters, including first-team all-conference selections Plummer and Glenn. All four starters return to the secondary. The wide receiving corps is experienced and talented and will cause many problems for opposing secondaries.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Replacing quarterback Blake Bortles will be the No. 1 issue on offense. Sophomore William Stanback looks to take over for Storm Johnson, who, like Bortles, has departed for the NFL, but depth is an apparent need at running back. The offensive line loses three starters and will have to come around quickly with the first two games against Penn State (in Ireland) and at Missouri.
OFFENSE
Quarterback isn’t the only position where UCF is looking for a new starter, but it’s the one that will get the most attention.
With Blake Bortles bypassing his senior season after leading the Knights to the AAC title and a Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor, the Knights will go into fall camp with four candidates competing to replace his 3,581 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes.
Sophomore Justin Holman, who threw only 14 times as Bortles’ backup, is the early frontrunner, followed by redshirt freshman Pete DiNovo and true freshman Tyler Harris. Nick Patti will join the mix as an immediately eligible transfer from Boise State.
Running back Storm Johnson also opted to enter the NFL Draft after rushing for 1,139 yards and catching 30 passes for 260 yards, but the Knights have a likely replacement in William Stanback. The sophomore rushed for 443 yards, averaging 4.2 per carry, as Johnson’s backup.
The receiving corps looks solid with three of the top four pass catchers — Rannell Hall (57 receptions for 886 yards), J.J. Worton (47-721) and Breshad Perriman (39-811) — leading the way.
An area of concern is finding three new starters on the line, which loses All-AAC twins Jordan and Justin McCray. Senior Torrian Wilson, who has 23 career starts at left tackle, is moving to guard.
DEFENSE
With eight starters back on defense, including first-team all-conference performers Terrance Plummer at linebacker and Jacoby Glenn at corner, the Knights have the makings for a dominant defense.
Last year they ranked third in the AAC in scoring defense (21.3 points per game) and fourth in total defense (362.0 yards per game).
The Knights also welcome back second-team safety Clayton Geathers, defensive end Thomas Niles (four sacks in 2013) and safety Brandon Alexander (three interceptions).
A pair of junior college transfers could have an impact right away. Lance McDowdell, out of Nassau (N.Y.) Community College, was rated one of the top JC defensive tackles in the country. Errol Clarke, who began his career at Cincinnati in 2012 and played last year at Garden City (Kan.) CC, is one of the top inside linebacker prospects.
SPECIAL TEAMS
If defense isn’t the strength of the team, special teams might be. Kicker Shawn Moffitt made 21 of 23 field-goal attempts, and punter Caleb Houston averaged 42.2 yards per attempt last year. Hall (23.8-yard average on kickoff returns) and Worton (12.1-yard average on punts) are big-play guys in the return game.
OVERVIEW
If the Knights find the answers at quarterback and offensive line, they are poised for another AAC title run and major bowl berth. Even without those answers, other weapons on offense and a competitive defense will have UCF in the hunt. It’s just that anything close to a facsimile of what Bortles produced will make it easier.
TOP NEWCOMER
RG Aaron Evans: After redshirting last fall, Evans came out of the spring as a starter on the right side on UCF’s rebuilt offensive line. He is from Seffner, Fla., and was little-known coming out of Armwood High, where he played his senior year. At 6-5, 282, he has a good frame for his position.
