Tag: ucf football

Former Georgia LB re-enters the transfer portal

Former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker enters the transfer portal again after one season at UCF

Former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Rian Davis has re-entered the NCAA transfer portal after spending the 2023 college football season at UCF.

Davis recorded 14 tackles for UCF in 2023 and likely has two years of eligibility remaining (only appeared in one game in 2021 and played during the 2020 season, which did not count against eligibility). Davis appeared in seven games for UCF during the Knights’ first season in the Big 12.

Rian Davis played in 14 of 15 games as Georgia won back-to-back national championships in 2022. Davis started in two games and contributed 15 total tackles.

Rian Davis, who is from Apopka, Florida, is a former four-star recruit. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker faced stout competition at the inside linebacker position during his time at Georgia.

Georgia does not have as much experienced depth at inside linebacker this year, but the Dawgs do have young talent in sophomore linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson. Georgia also returns senior Smael Mondon. Georgia inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann has a close relationship with Rian Davis and could look to target him in the portal if Georgia ends up looking for an experienced transfer linebacker this spring. 247Sports reported that Rian Davis entered the transfer portal.

 

Former Clemson coach lands defensive coordinator position at UCF

A former Clemson defensive analyst has taken a job as the defensive coordinator at UCF.

Another former Clemson coach has landed a new job in college football.

Former Clemson defensive analyst Ted Roof has been named the new defensive coordinator for UCF football. Roof lands with a good program coming off a solid first year in the Big 12.

Roof spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners and Roof parted ways in early January, with UCF taking advantage of the opportunity to land a veteran defensive coach.

Prior to his time at Oklahoma, Roof was on Clemson’s staff in 2021 as a defensive analyst. Former Clemson coaches continue to land jobs across the country.

West Virginia-UCF broadcast didn’t drop an F-bomb over this interception, but it sure sounded like it

Eric Collins was just excited, but he didn’t drop an F-bomb.

You know when you hear something WILD on a sports broadcast and do a double-take, wondering if you heard that exactly right? Well, that’s what happened to a lot of college football fans Saturday during West Virginia’s road game at UCF.

Early in the second quarter with the Knights trailing, 10-7, things got a little rough for them. On first-and-10 from West Virginia’s 37-yard line, UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was picked off by West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. for a 31-yard return.

This wasn’t any average interception. Plumlee threw deep to the right sideline, aiming for receiver Javon Baker around the five-yard line. The ball bounced hard in and out of Baker’s arms, and as it shot back up into the air, Bishop pulled it down.

It was a wild interception, and Fox Sports broadcaster Eric Collins on the play-by-play delivered an awesome call of the moment. As his voice was filled with excitement, he described the play: “What a funky interception that was!”

But it sure sounded like an F-bomb.

The first time you hear it, it sure sounds like a NSFW moment on air. But go back and listen to it again, and it’s clear Collins says “funky.”

That was the reaction of many college football fans the first time they heard it, and some are still convinced Collins dropped an F-bomb instead.

College Football Week 5 Winners and Losers: Ole Miss and Notre Dame bounce back, LSU still haunted by defense

We’re approaching the midway point of the season, and no team has truly separated from the pack.

Nothing good lasts forever, and that includes the college football season, which approaches its midway point this week.

The 2023 season feels particularly puzzling so far. No one has really separated from the pack, and while some top teams struggled during Week 5 on Saturday in USC, Georgia and Notre Dame, all ultimately escaped with wins.

Other top teams like Michigan and Oregon haven’t really faced significant tests, at all.

We’re still trying to make sense of it all, and it feels like we could be heading toward a College Football Playoff race filled with chaos, chalk or anything in between.

For now, here are the winners and losers from Week 5 of the college football season.

Eric Collins’ voice nearly broke as he called this improbable UCF 4th-down conversion

“IT’S CAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHHT!”

Veteran broadcaster Eric Collins always knows how to accentuate an exciting moment in a football game, but his call of this absolutely improbable University of Central Florida fourth-down conversion is one of his best.

As UCF faced down 4th-and-five with 1:02 left in its game against Baylor, the Knights trailed by a point and absolutely needed to get the first down.

Quarterback Timmy McClain decided to defy the laws of football physics by scrambling all the way back to his team’s end zone from around the 30-yard line, avoiding the safety and moving up just a few yards to make the mind-blowing throw to running back R.J. Harvey for the conversion.

The way Collins guided viewers through the dramatics of the play was spectacular, and the “What do ya got, McClain?” quote all the way to his voice almost breaking when Harvey hauled in the pass was just special.

UCF wasn’t able to get points out of this wild sequence, but it doesn’t take away from the spectacular throw from McClain and the unforgettable narration from Collins on the “unbelievable” conversion.

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Looking at what will hold each Big 12 title contender back in 2023

We explore each Big 12 contender’s weakness including unpredictability from the Texas offense when off Sarkisian’s script.

There are several Big 12 contenders heading into the 2023 season. We have identified nine teams who could compete for the title.

Texas and Kansas State lead the list of contenders as the safest picks after last year’s performance paired with what each team returns. The Longhorns and Wildcats are two of the more experienced teams in the conference to go with the talent each team presents.

Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas and TCU could probably comprise another tier of challengers. All four had good offense and bad defense last season. We expect the Oklahoma defense to be much improved. The other three have significant defensive question marks across the board.

Central Florida, Baylor and BYU are wild cards who command plenty of mixed reviews heading into the 2023 season. The three teams had up and down moments last year, but all have high upsides.

Let’s look at every Big 12 contender’s primary area of concern.

Former Georgia LB transfers to UCF

Former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Rian Davis has transferred to UCF

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Rian Davis helped the Dawgs win back-to-back national championships in 2022. Davis played in 14 of 15 games. He started in two games and contributed 15 total tackles.

Rian Davis, who is from Apopka, Florida, is transferring to the UCF Knights. Davis will be closed to home and should earn a starting role with UCF.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker is a former four-star recruit. He faced stout competition at the inside linebacker position during his time at Georgia. Ultimately, Smael Mondon and Jamon Dumas-Johnson primarily started at inside linebacker over players like Rian Davis and Trezmen Marshall. Marshall transferred to Alabama earlier this offseason.

Where does Georgia stand at inside linebacker after Rian Davis’ departure?

Xavian Sorey is likely the Bulldogs’ top back-up inside linebacker. Additionally, E.J. Lightsey, C.J. Allen, and Raylen Wilson all are talented pieces of depth, but none of them have the experience of a Rian Davis or Trezmen Marshall.

Rian Davis joins UCF for its first season in the Big 12. He should see the field a lot under head coach Gus Malzahn as the Knights adjust to playing in a Power Five football conference.

Georgia inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann and the Bulldogs will miss Rian Davis.

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Post-spring Big 12 football record predictions for 2023

Texas is still our favorite in post-spring Big 12 record predictions.

Spring football is over in Austin, and there’s plenty to be excited about for the 2023 squad. The excitement starts with the team’s starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers dropped a dime into the hands of receiver Xavier Worthy on a deep corner route, hitting Worthy in stride. More importantly, he completed many of the shorter to intermediate throws that he missed last season.

The next biggest takeaway is Texas has perhaps the most dynamic big-bodied receiver it has ever had in AD Mitchell. The Georgia transfer showcased his athleticism in the Orange and White game with a terrific one-handed touchdown snag.

Mitchell’s emergence paired with Ewers’ improved accuracy makes Texas a dangerous cover defensively. Adding to the degree of difficulty, receivers Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington appear to have hit a new gear.

Here’s a look at how the Big 12 race could unfold in 2023.

College Football News predicts every Big 12 football team’s record

College Football News has Texas winning the Big 12 conference.

Another publication is touting the Texas Longhorns as the favorite to win the Big 12. College Football News released their prediction for every Big 12 game last week. Texas had the best record in the conference.

The college football website had the Longhorns finishing 10-2 in 2023. That feels like a reasonable prediction for the team based on its three-win improvement last season and all the production the team returns.

The Longhorns are capable of finishing around the 8-win mark again. We have seen plenty of Texas football teams find a way to underachieve. This squad would probably have to get creative to find a way to fall below 8 wins.

For a fuller view of the national perspective of the Big 12, here’s how College Football News sees the conference finishing in 2023.

Texas Football: Big 12 announces changes to media days

More changes are on the way for the Big 12 conference.

Big 12 media days will be different this offseason. The conference announced the dates the event will take place and the changes to the old model for the 2023 sessions.

The league’s coaches are set to meet the media on July 12 and 13 to answer questions about the upcoming season. The scheduled proceedings will be of added intrigue this year.

According to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News, all 14 teams are set to participate in both July 12 and 13 media days. It will be worth monitoring how the league manages to fit each team into the two days of media sessions and which teams garner the most attention.

Most eyes will likely be on the two departing teams and the four conference newcomers. The Big 12 adds BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the league in the 2023 season.

Oklahoma and Texas part ways with their old conference after this season. The Longhorns look to capitalize in their last opportunity to snap their Big 12 championship drought.

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