InsideKnights Spring Football Preview

InsideKnight.com brings you a quick preview of UCF spring football

UCF’s spring football practice was scheduled to go from March 19th to April 12th, when the spring game would be played. Following the tragic, untimely death of freshman receiver Ereck Plancher, the Knights moved their practice back until this upcoming week. UCF players and coaches will certainly need time to mourn the loss a good young man in Plancher and there is no doubt that the following weeks of practice will be tainted by this tragic loss. However, Coach George O’Leary will likely try to get his player’s mind right in the upcoming week and as sad as it is to say, life must go on.

The Knights will have several positions in interest this spring, the most notable being quarterback and running back.

At quarterback, the Knights will search to replace Kyle Israel, who had a dismal senior season, throwing just 15 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. There are several viable options the Knights will have entering the spring, the most notable being junior Michael Greco, who is currently a sophomore but we will be referring to all players as what class they will be next year. Greco gained some experience in 2007, attempting 45 passes. Greco, a N.C State transfer, threw just one touchdown and had three passes picked off, but he showed potential and it will be his job to lose.

Right on Greco’s heals are sophomores Joe Weatherford and Nate Tice. Weatherford, the younger brother of FSU QB Drew, had offers from Louisville, Connecticut, Colorado State, Western Michigan, Duke and SMU. O’Leary likes the big armed QB and he could push Greco. Tice also has done well in drills this offseason and could contend.

Whoever replaces Israel will need to step it up, because the Knights will no longer have phenomenal running back Kevin Smith in the backfield. Smith, who came up just 61 yards shy of setting Barry Sanders record for rushing yards in a season, will be hard to replace, but the Knights have some players who can be adequate fill-ins. The leading candidate is junior Phillip Smith, who rushed for 246 yards last season.

Smith is a little thin at 6’1”, 188 pounds, but if he can add a little bulk this spring, he will be a force. He’s quick and cuts well, and adding some power should make him a much more complete back. Sophomore James Jamison, a former cornerback, might also get some repetitions, but the Knights will likely wait for an impressive stable of running backs from the incoming freshman class to get some reps in the fall before deciding on a starter.

Senior Rocky Ross, UCF’s leading receiver, will be back to spearhead a talented group of players. Kamar Aiken had a stellar freshman year, as he tallied over 580 yards, and coaches will look for him to take the next step. Fellow sophomore A.J. Guyton was also impressive as a freshman and was UCF’s third leading receiver in 2007.

The Knights will need to replace tight end Mike Merritt, who at 6’3”, 270-pounds, was an excellent run blocker. His successor will likely be found this spring, and it might come in the form of junior Corey Rabazinski. At 6’3”, 247 pounds, he offers good pass catching skills and size.

On the offensive line, the Knights will have to replace two starters, which shouldn’t be too daunting of a task. Patrick Brown will return at left tackle and will look to build on an impressive junior campaign in which he started every game for the Knights. Cliff McCray will also return and is slated to start at guard again, and senior Jeramy DeVane, who started six games for UCF last season, will battle this spring to be a full time starter for the Knights.

The battle to replace Kyle Smith at center will be one of the most intriguing competitions this spring, as senior Mike Lavoie and junior Ian Bustillo will go head to head. Lavoie has experience at center and saw a nice amount of action last season. Bustillo, on the other hand, doesn’t have as much experience, but was considered a more talented player at the high school level.

Right tackle will be the final spot on the offensive line that the Knights will look to hone. Massive tackle Josh Sitton graduated, but sophomore Jah Reid has the potential to be even better. At 6’7”, 313 pounds, Reid might need to add a little bulk, but he has some experience and should solidify his status as the team’s starting right tackle. Reid was also named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

On defense the Knights should be improved, returning eight starters on a defense that ranked 50th nationally last year.

Defensive end will be the main concern for the team after losing starters Emeka Okammor and Leger Douzable. Senior Antonio Wallace, a converted linebacker, is the front runner to start at right end and at 6’2”, 250 pounds, he should be able to add some speed at the position. Sophomore Bruce Miller made some big plays for the Knights last season and a solid offseason could propel him to start at the other end position.

At defensive tackle, the Knights should be fairly strong. Junior Torrell Johnson started for the Knights last season and should be even better after another year of experience. With a 6’3”, 330 pound frame, Johnson is a strong force and regularly clogs the running lanes for opponents, and he should easily retain his starting position this spring. UCF will be searching for someone to lineup next to Johnson and the likely candidate is junior Travis Timmons, who has garnered solid experience the last two seasons for the Knights.

The team’s linebackers were a much improved unit in 2007 and should be even better next season, but the Knights will look to sort some things out this spring. Derrick Hallman, who is a linebacker/safety, should start again after an impressive freshman campaign in which he logged 50 tackles and an interception.

In the middle, junior Chance Henderson will be resuming his starting role. He’s a big player who plays well inside the hashes, which was validated by his 75 tackles last year. Senior Cory Hogue, who had 72 tackles his junior year, will get a majority of the snaps at the other outside linebacker position. Josh Linam, who was injured last year, will also be in the mix, as will sophomore Lawrence Young, who totaled 31 tackles as a freshman.

UCF will be loaded in the defensive backfield and there won’t be too much competition as the Knights return all four starters from last season. Joe Burnett, who originally declared for the draft, will be the team’s top playmaker in the backfield, and fellow seniors Johnell Neal, Sha’reff Rashad, and Jason Venson will join him. Coaches will closely monitor sophomore Darin Baldwin’s progress, as the highly touted recruit needs to instill some confidence in coaches and teammates as he will likely be a key player for the Knights in 2009.

While UCF can’t really sort out its depth chart, especially at running back, until after all its incoming freshmen enroll in the fall, the Knights have a general idea of what to look for this spring. The team’s defense will likely be a strength, and there won’t be too much competition pending for starting slots, but spring practice will be extremely crucial for the Knights as they will look to find offensive leaders for their 2008 season.