Quarterback battle and filling defensive line holes are key this spring for UCF Knights
UCF continued its winning ways in the Josh Heupel Era. After Scott Frost left for Nebraska, Heupel stepped in and sped the offense up even more.
And the Knights kept winning, earning themselves a New Year’s Six bowl game for a second straight season.
While LSU ended UCF’s long winning streak, the Knights continued positioning themselves in the national spotlight.
A horrific leg injury to starting quarterback McKenzie Milton at the end of the regular season has led to the question of who will start in his place.
There are options at Heupel’s disposal, which is just one of a two major areas to look at when spring practices begin next week.
Quarterback
Darriel Mack Jr. filled in admirably for Milton after the injury early in the victory over rival USF. Mack led the Knights past Memphis for a second straight American Athletic Conference championship win and then started the Fiesta Bowl game against LSU, which ended with a 40-32 loss.
Mack completed 11 of 30 passes for only 97 yards in that defeat to one of the SEC’s stronger teams.
So who could challenge Mack as UCF’s quarterback with Milton on the shelf?
Enter Brandon Wimbush, who transferred from Notre Dame in January and is eligible to play right away as a graduate student. Wimbush completed 54 of 102 passes for 719 yards and four touchdowns with Notre Dame last season. He also threw six interceptions in his six games with the Irish, eventually losing his starting job to Ian Book, who guided Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff.
Wimbush has more experience than Mack, but Mack has been in Heupel’s system longer. The two should battle into fall camp before a starter is named.
Defensive front
Seeing who emerges as a potential impact player along the defensive line will be a key area to watch this spring. The Knights lost three starting lineman off last year’s team as well as Trysten Hill, who declared early for the NFL Draft after a standout season as a backup.
