UCF counting on QB transfer Brandon Wimbush to continue Knights’ winning ways
It’s looking like Brandon Wimbush will get a second chance at becoming a starting quarterback — and he has landed in a great spot with the Central Florida Knights.
The Knights went 25-1 the past two seasons, largely due to the play of quarterback McKenzie Milton, the two-time American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. But Milton sustained a gruesome leg injury in the 2018 regular-season finale.
Wimbush, a senior transfer who started 16 games at Notre Dame, is expected to replace Milton. He was virtually assured of the job when his main challenger, Darriel Mack Jr., sustained a broken ankle in July.
“You can’t buy experience, and [Wimbush has] it,” quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby said on ucfknights.com. “He’s night and day [better] from the spring game to today. He’s able to get his body in better position, creating more consistent throws.”
Wimbush, who is being challenged by freshmen quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Quadry Jones, rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown during his first Notre Dame start, in 2017 against Temple. He also passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns in that 49-16 win.
Two weeks later, he ran for 207 yards — a Notre Dame record for quarterbacks — and four touchdowns in a 49-20 win over Boston College. Wimbush completed just 11 of 24 passes for 96 yards in that game.
“Under 100 yards [throwing] — it’s not ideal,” Wimbush told the media that day. “I’m going to enjoy this win for 24 hours and then make adjustments.”
But Wimbush didn’t get to celebrate for too long as he was benched in Notre Dame’s bowl game that season, and he lost his job for good by the fourth contest of the 2018 season.
Assuming he is the quarterback this year, Wimbush and UCF fans should have Sept. 14 marked in giant letters on their black-and-gold calendars.
That’s when 23rd-ranked Stanford visits the No. 17 Knights, who have emerged as a national power the past two years.
To be fair, however, the Knights have been criticized for a relatively soft schedule during that span, playing just five Top 25 teams, going 4-1 against those squads. That includes a bowl win against Auburn and a bowl loss to LSU.
Stanford is the only school on the 2019 schedule that will enter the season in the Top 25, making the game crucial to UCF’s lofty aspirations.
The Knights have won four American Athletic Conference titles in the past six years, and they are the clear favorites in 2019.
If the Knights get good quarterback play, the rest of the offense should continue to flow. The Knights return two running backs who each went over 1,000 in scrimmage yards — junior Greg McRae and senior Adrian Killins.
McRae ran for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns (8.9 per rush). Killins ran for 715 yards and four scores (4.9 average). Killins also caught 19 passes for 317 yards and four more touchdowns.
In addition, three of the Knights’ top four wide receivers return, including juniors Gabriel Davis (53 catches, 815 yards, seven TDs) and Tre Nixon (40 catches, 688 yards, four TDs). Davis, a 6-3, 210-pounder, is one of two top NFL prospects on the Knights, joined by junior safety Richie Grant.
The Knights also have a strong offensive line, with three All-AAC candidates.
On defense, Grant led the team in interceptions (six) and tackles (108). Both starting cornerbacks return —junior Brandon Moore and senior Nevelle Clarke.
The two other returning starters on defense are senior linebacker Nate Evans and senior defensive end Brendon Hayes.