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Armed with one of the deepest backfields in the country and a three-year, dual-threat starting quarterback from the SEC, UCF coach Gus Malzahn believes his team is equipped to make a charge up the Big 12 ladder in Year 2.
And with the College Football Playoff expanding to a 12-team field this fall, the path has never been clearer for the Knights in their quest for a national championship.
“Obviously, a goal of ours is to win the league,” Malzahn told reporters Wednesday following his Big 12 media day press conference at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “Probably the first two (teams), possibly three have a chance at the top 12. That’s been a long time coming, and it should have happened a long time ago.”
Mainland star commits to Knights: ESPN 300 defensive tackle Christian Hudson commits to UCF football
Clearer is not to be confused with easier, of course.
UCF waited until November to put a conference win on the board in its debut Big 12 campaign, salvaging an 0-5 start with three wins in its final four contests to achieve bowl eligibility — a feat in which fellow newcomers BYU, Cincinnati and Houston failed. The Knights were picked to finish eighth last week in the conference’s preseason media poll, while five teams (Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona) gained first-place votes.
Brett Yormark, the Big 12’s commissioner, called his conference the “deepest” in the country as far as football is concerned. Tempo-setting September showdowns with TCU and Colorado should serve as a barometer as to whether the Knights will sink or swim.
That will all happen in due time. For now, it’s still the midst of “talking season.”
Here are some UCF notes from Big 12 media day.
RJ Harvey selected as top-100 player in EA Sports College Football 25
EA Sports released its top 100 rated players for its upcoming College Football 25 video game Wednesday morning, and UCF bellcow running back RJ Harvey cracked the esteemed list.
Harvey earned a 91 overall rating from the game’s developers, tied for the eighth-highest mark among running backs in the game along with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Miami’s Damien Martinez, Michigan’s Donovan Edwards and Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound fifth-year senior drew elite attribute ratings in speed (92), acceleration (92) and awareness (93).
Named a semifinalist last season for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back, Harvey gained a career-high 1,416 yards — sixth-most in the FBS — and scored 16 touchdowns, tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
Fifteen players from Big 12 programs made the top 100, headlined by Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillian and the Colorado passing duo of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
Deion Sanders salutes Gus Malzahn in opening remarks
Kicking off the second day of press conferences, Colorado coach Deion Sanders spoke glowingly of UCF coach Gus Malzahn in his opening remarks. The Hall of Fame cornerback said Malzahn recruited his son, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, during his tenure at Auburn.
“Coach Malzahn … just ran across him. I’m just highlighting a couple of the coaches because they’ve been so kind, they’ve been so considerate, they’ve been so wonderful to me,” Sanders said. “He recruited Shedeur out of high school, and I remember going there in Auburn. He’s just been the same, consistent man since. He’s phenomenal.”
Shedeur Sanders was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2021 cycle out of Cedar Hill (Texas) Trinity Christian, eventually signing with Jackson State during the middle of Deion’s tenure as the Tigers’ head coach. He transferred to Colorado with two years of eligibility remaining, throwing for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions last year to earn Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
Returning to the Big 12 after a 13-year stint in the Pac-12, Colorado visits UCF on Sept. 28 — the Knights’ home opener in conference play and the first head-to-head meeting between the two schools.
KJ Jefferson motivated by Skip Bayless’ praise of Shedeur Sanders
Speaking of Shedeur Sanders, Fox Sports pundit Skip Bayless did plenty of it recently, stating, “He’s not just the best QB in the Big 12 Conference, but he’s the best QB in the country.” That caught the attention of UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson, who printed Bayless’ remarks and taped them to his locker.
“We’re kind of pushed under the radar right now,” Jefferson told the Sons of UCF podcast. “Just having that fire in our approach and our mentality that we’re going each and every day when we step foot into that building, we have a whole different type of mindset to grind and be tough. When it’s time to showcase our talent, we can do that.”
Jefferson told ESPNU later in the day that he hopes his passion for football and competitive edge are “contagious” with his new teammates. In 36 career starts for Arkansas, the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder threw for 7,911 yards, rushed for 1,876 yards and accounted for 88 touchdowns.
“Physically, he’s the closest thing to Cam (Newton) that I’ve had,” Malzahn said. “When he entered the portal, he was our guy.”
Deshawn Pace: No ‘hard feelings’ toward former team Cincinnati
One of UCF’s three additions from longtime conference rival Cincinnati, Deshawn Pace attended Big 12 media day for a second consecutive year — a sign of the “new age of college football,” Malzahn said of the hybrid safety/linebacker addressing the media with different teams.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Pace’s exit was not voluntary as the Bearcats’ coaching staff sought to part ways with him and several other players. Despite leading the team with 80 tackles and 11 TFLs, Pace was suspended for the team’s game against Oklahoma for a “violation of team rules.”
Defensive back Bryon Threats and running back Myles Montgomery also joined the Knights from the portal.
“I’ve got that game circled, but there aren’t hard feelings,” Pace told the Enquirer. “I love my boys over there. No hard feelings at all.”
Shaquem Griffin, Tacko Fall named to inaugural Big 12 alumni council
UCF icons Shaquem Griffin (football) and Tacko Fall (basketball) were among 32 former college athletes named to the Big 12’s first alumni council, created to “leverage the experience and expertise of some of the conference’s most notable student-athlete alumni as it enters a new era,” according to a conference press release.
Griffin posted onto his X, formerly known as Twitter, account Wednesday: “Blessed to continue Representing the best school in the country @UCFKnights. It’s only up from here and (we’re) just getting started.”
The alumni will provide guidance and insights on topics such as brand building, athlete relations, storytelling and digital content. The council, overseen by Yormark and VP of Communications and Strategy Clark Williams, will kick off in August as the league formally expands to 16 member schools with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: Gus Malzahn, KJ Jefferson speak at Big 12 media day