UCF's Cooper Bassett brings high energy to tight ends group

New UCF tight ends coach Cooper Bassett isn't hard to miss on the practice field.

Clad in a gold, sleeveless hoodie that highlights his massive biceps, the 6-foot-5 Bassett typically can be found bouncing from player to player, his face obscured by the hood as he barks out encouragement or offers a smile.

The 36-year-old former tight end looks as if he could still suit up and play today.

"I don’t know how old he is, but he seems pretty young," tight end Dylan Wade said with a smile. "He likes to run around and keep me on my feet at practice."

"He’s high energy," added fellow tight end Caden Piening. "He's running up and down the field. I love his energy."

For Bassett, joining the Knights' coaching staff this offseason has been a dream come true.

"I’m the luckiest coach in America because I’m taking over a room that was coached by the offensive coordinator the year before," said Bassett. "The room I’m inheriting knows the offense as well, if not better than everyone in the building."

Bassett arrived in Orlando after spending last season as the offensive line coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State. He previously served as the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Utah State and also served on the coaching staffs at Sam Houston State, Southeast Missouri and West Texas A&M.

A former tight end who made the switch to defensive line while at Oklahoma State, Bassett is taking over the tight end coaching duties from offensive coordinator Steve Cooper, who shared the role last season.

"Coach Cooper was trying to coach tight ends and put the offense together alongside me," coach Scott Frost said recently. "At times, I thought our technique at tight end suffered because he was spending his time elsewhere. At other times, there was just a lot on his plate. [The hiring of Bassett] is a big addition for us and that’s going to allow me to spend more time with Coach Cooper and make sure that we’re in the right stuff every week."

Added Cooper: "Having Coach Bassett has been really nice. Just the time management piece has been good. I get to float around and be with some of the other position groups."

Bassett inherited a tight ends group that features three returners in redshirt senior Thomas Wadsworth, Wade and Piening. The Knights also added transfers Grayson Brousseau, who played at Oklahoma State and Utah State under Bassett, and Dylan Burk, along with true freshman Brooks Hall.

Wade, an Orlando native, led the team in receiving touchdowns (5) and was second in receiving yards (523) and receptions (43) last season - all of which were program-bests for a tight end in a single season.

He was the highest-graded receiver on the team and the fifth-highest graded tight end in the Big 12, according to Pro Football Focus.

"I’ve got one of the most accomplished tight ends coming back with Dylan Wade, with the amount of targets, yards and catches he had last season," said Bassett.

Piening, meanwhile, appeared in four games as a true freshman but was limited due to a lingering hamstring issue. He took part in just 64 offensive snaps last season, but Bassett expects big things from him.

"Caden Piening is as good as any redshirt freshman in the country and I'm excited about what he's doing," Bassett said. “He’s smooth, athletic and aggressive. He’s done a great job. He’s a big body, 6-foot-5-and-a-half, 250-plus [pounds], so running in the seam, he’s a big target. He’s done a great job when the balls come to him in the run game."

Wadsworth, who is set to start his fifth season at UCF, is one of the better blocking tight ends on the roster.

"He’s been here as long as anybody and was a walk-on who’s worked his tail off to get a scholarship," Bassett said. "He's a vocal leader who brings a great element to the room and a glue to the offense."

Through the first four months on the job, Bassett has been working to build a connection with the tight ends group.

"It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve already had the guys over to eat and we have a lot of fun in our position room," he said. "Mainly, because I have such high-quality character kids and professional kids in my room, it allows us to have more fun."

Bassett even finds time to connect with his players in the weight room.

"Seeing him come in every day and how he attacks the day … he doesn’t even play football, he's just our coach," added Wade.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel's Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 4:07 PM.