2024 UCF Knights football team explained

Year:	2024
Team:	UCF Knights
Sport:	football
Conference:	Big 12 Conference
Short Conf:	Big 12
Record:	4–8
Conf Record:	2–7
Head Coach:	Gus Malzahn
Hc Year:	4th
Off Coach:	Tim Harris Jr.
Oc Year:	1st
Cooc1 Year:	2nd
Off Scheme:	Spread option
Def Coach:	Addison Williams
Dc Year:	1st
Def Scheme:	4–3 or 4–2–5
Stadium:	FBC Mortgage Stadium

The 2024 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida (UCF) as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by Gus Malzahn in his 4th and final season as their head coach. The Knights played their home games at FBC Mortgage Stadium located in Orlando, Florida.

After eight games, on October 28, defensive coordinator Ted Roof was fired.^[1] Starting with the game against Arizona on November 2, assistant Addison Williams was promoted to defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. was named offensive play-caller.^[2]

The Knights started off the season 3–0, with Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson at quarterback. The Knights notably rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat TCU 35–34 on the road in week 3. But they would lose 8 of their last 9 to finish 4–8 (2–7 in Big 12). Jefferson was benched, replaced first by EJ Colson, then by Jacurri Brown, then by redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk. Senior running back RJ Harvey was the offensive standout for the year, rushing for 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns, along with 267 yards receiving and three touchdowns catches. Harvey finished his UCF career with a school record 48 all-time touchdowns, breaking the record previously held by Kevin Smith. With a loss to West Virginia on November 23, the Knights were eliminated from bowl contention for the first time since their winless 2015 season, ending a school record eight straight bowl games.

On November 30, one day after their season concluded, head coach Gus Malzahn resigned to take the offensive coordinator position at Florida State.^[3]

Offseason

Transfers

Incoming

Ja'Varrius Johnson	WR	Auburn
Mac McWilliams	DB	UAB
Keegan Smith	IOL	Central Michigan
Sheldon Arnold II	DB	ETSU
Jacoby Jones	WR	Ohio
Peny Boone	RB	Louisville
Jacurri Brown	QB	Miami
Tre'Quon Fegans	DB	USC
Jack Bernstein	LS	Georgia State
Nyjalik Kelly	DE	Miami
Cedrick Hawkins	S	Ohio State
Evan Morris	TE	Michigan State
KJ Jefferson	QB	Arkansas
Ladarius Tennison	STAR	Ole Miss
Ethan Barr	LB	Vanderbilt
Jesiah Pierce	LB	Texas Tech
Antoine Jackson	DB	East Carolina
Xe'ree Alexander	LB	Idaho
Jabari Brooks	OL	Samford
Myles Montgomery	RB	Cincinnati
Daylon Dotson	DE	UT Martin
DeShawn Pace	STAR	Cincinnati
Byron Threats	S	Cincinnati
Wes Dorsey	OL	Western Kentucky
Reece Adkins	TE	Eastern Kentucky
Zavier Carter	DE	UNLV
Goldie Lawrence	WR	Florida State

Outgoing

Xavier Williams	DB	Middle Tennessee
Zavier Carter	DE	TBD
Jason Duclona	DB	Liberty
Ja'Maric Morris	DB	Georgia State
Stephen Martin	WR	Samford
Goldie Lawrence	WR	Florida A&M
Nikai Martinez	DB	Michigan State
Timmy McClain	QB	Arkansas State
Josh Celiscar	DE	Texas A&M
Jarvis Ware	DB	UNLV
KD McDaniel	DE	Georgia State
Dallaz Corbitt	DE	Bethune–Cookman
Kervins Choute	DT	UConn
Isaiah Paul	LB	TBD
Amari Johnson	WR	Florida A&M
Corey Thornton	DB	Louisville
Keenan Cupit	LB	Virginia Union
Tyler Griffin	WR	ULM
Jaylon Griffin	WR	Texas State
Jordan McDonald	RB	Boston College
Drake Metcalf	IOL	Virginia
Gunnar Smith	QB	Highland CC
Fred Davis II	DB	Jacksonville State
Demarkcus Bowman	RB	TBD

Source:^[4]

Preseason

Spring game

The 2024 UCF spring exhibition game was played on Friday April 12 at FBC Mortgage Stadium. The team was split into two squads for gameplay, the Knights and the 'Nauts. Two 12-minute halves were followed by a series of player skill challenges. Quarterback KJ Jefferson threw for 271 yards and two touchdown passes.^[5]

Big 12 media poll

The preseason poll was released on July 2, 2024.^[6]

Big 12
1	Utah	906 (20)
2	Kansas State	889 (19)
3	Oklahoma State	829 (14)
4	Kansas	772 (5)
5	Arizona	762 (3)
6	Iowa State	661
7	West Virginia	581
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9	Texas Tech	532
10	TCU	436
11	Colorado	400
12	Baylor	268
13	BYU	215
14	Cincinnati	196
15	Houston	157
16	Arizona State	141

First place votes in

Award watch lists

Eleven players were named to the Reese's Senior Bowl watchlist: RJ Harvey, Peny Boone, Deshawn Pace, Brandon Adams, Marcellus Marshall, Mac McWilliams, Malachi Lawrence, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, KJ Jefferson, and Ricky Barber.^[7]

	QB	Maxwell Award Davey O'Brien Award Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
	RB	Maxwell Award Doak Walker Award
Lee Hunter	DT	Bronko Nagurski Trophy Outland Trophy Chuck Bednarik Award Lombardi Award
Xavier Townsend	WR	Paul Hornung Award
	WR	Fred Biletnikoff Award
Caden Kitler	OL	Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
William Wells	S	Wuerffel Trophy
Listed in the order that they were released

Schedule

Source^[8]

Game summaries

vs. New Hampshire (FCS)

Statistics	UNH	UCF
First downs	9	27
Total yards	166	639
Rushing yards	71	454
Passing yards	95	185
Time of possession	30:27	29:33

UCF won their season opening game for the 9th consecutive season. The UCF offense put up 454 rushing yards, just 7 yards shy of the school record set in 1992. New quarterback KJ Jefferson had a shaky start, completing only 2 passes in the first half. But Jefferson eventually threw for 164 yards and two touchdown passes, and ran for a touchdown. RJ Harvey led the offense with 142 yards rushing, two touchdown runs, along with one reception for 8 yards. Leading 23–3 at halftime, the Knights put the game away with touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the third quarter.

vs Sam Houston

Statistics	SHSU	UCF
First downs	12	28
Total yards	286	554
Rushing yards	67	384
Passing yards	219	170
Time of possession	25:57	34:03

RJ Harvey rushed for 126 yards and four touchdowns as UCF defeated Sam Houston 45–14. UCF improved to 2–0 on the season and achieved their 200th Division I FBS game victory. The Knights offense racked up a total of 384 yards rushing, the second week in a row with a strong ground game output. The Knights defense forced two turnovers, plus the special teams unit recovered a botched punt attempt by the Bearkats at the 2 yard line.

Harvey's four rushing touchdowns tied a school-record, last achieved by Isiah Bowser in 2019. The Knights started the season 2–0 for third time in four seasons under head coach Gus Malzahn. For this game, the players' helmets featured decals designed by pediatric patients at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, in honor of Pediactric Cancer Awareness month.^[9]

at TCU

Statistics	UCF	TCU
First downs	30	26
Total yards	519	460
Rushing yards	289	58
Passing yards	230	402
Time of possession	32:54	27:06

UCF traveled to TCU for their Big 12 conference opener. The Knights erased a 21-point deficit and defeated the Horned Frogs by the score of 35–34. Quarterback KJ Jefferson threw for 230 yards and three touchdown passes, and also rushed for 46 yards. RJ Harvey rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, as the UCF offense put up 289 yards rushing total. It was UCF's first intra-conference road victory against an existing Big 12 opponent (one that was a member of the conference prior to 2023).

TCU built a 14–0 lead in the first quarter, with two quick touchdown strikes by quarterback Josh Hoover. UCF's first quarter drives came up empty, with a three-and-out followed by a blocked field goal. The Knights got on the board on the first play of the second quarter, with a 29-yard touchdown pass to RJ Harvey. The Horned Frogs answered, and stretched their lead to 21–7. In the final minute of the second quarter, the Knights were driving deep into TCU territory. The TCU defense managed to keep the Knights out of the endzone, and UCF had to settle for a field goal attempt. Colton Boomer's 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked - his second block of the half - and TCU led 21–7 at halftime.

TCU got the ball to start the third quarter, and drove 75 yards in just four plays. Josh Hoover connected to Jack Bech for a 50-yard touchdown, and the Horned Frogs led 28–7, their largest lead of the night. The Knights, rallied, however, scoring touchdowns on their next three drives. With 13:38 left in regulation, TCU clung to a 31–28 lead.

TCU drove down inside the UCF 10 yard line with under 11 minutes left. On 3rd & Goal at the UCF 1, a costly false start penalty pushed them back to the 6. The UCF defense stiffened, and TCU settled for a field goal and a 34–28 lead. After a TCU three-and-out, UCF took over with 3:44 to go. KJ Jefferson drove the Knights 72 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead score. Jefferson found Kobe Hudson for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left. Colton Boomer's extra point gave the Knights a 35–34 lead. TCU had one last chance, and managed to make it down to the UCF 40 yard line. Kyle Lemmermann's 58-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired, and the Knights secured the victory.

vs Colorado

Statistics	COLO	UCF
First downs	26	31
Total yards	418	461
Rushing yards	128	177
Passing yards	290	284
Time of possession	29:57	30:30

UCF hosted Colorado for their Big 12 intra-conference home opener, and the UCF main campus hosted Fox's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.^[10] The Buffaloes defeated the Knights 48–21 behind Shedeur Sanders' three touchdown passes. The Knights offense committed four turnovers in the loss.

at Florida

Statistics	UCF	UF
First downs	20	18
Total yards	273	359
Rushing yards	108	130
Passing yards	165	229
Time of possession	27:44	32:16

UCF faced Florida for the fourth meeting all-time. The Gators won the first two meetings at Gainesville (1999, 2006), and the Knights won the most recent meeting at the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl. This was the Knights' third and final non-conference game of the season. The Gators jumped out to a 24–3 lead in the first half, then held on for a 24–13 victory.

vs Cincinnati (rivalry)

Statistics	CIN	UCF
First downs	19	19
Total yards	338	397
Rushing yards	97	196
Passing yards	241	201
Time of possession	33:44	26:16

UCF hosted rival Cincinnati. KJ Jefferson was benched during the week and freshman EJ Colson started at quarterback. Jacurri Brown eventually took over in the middle of the first quarter. The Knights fell 19–13 for their third straight loss.

at No. 9 Iowa State

Statistics	UCF	ISU
First downs	14	28
Total yards	416	530
Rushing yards	354	256
Passing yards	62	274
Time of possession	22:32	37:28

After playing most of the game the week prior, Jacurri Brown started at quarterback. Brown struggled in the air, completing only 8 passes for 62 yards, and 2 interception. However, he had 154 yards on the ground, and two touchdown runs. The Knights offense, led by RJ Harvey, racked up 354 total yards rushing. The UCF defense made two interceptions - a 63-yard "pick-six" by Brandon Adams, and a 70-yard interception return by Braeden Marshall that led to a touchdown. The Knights were leading #9 Iowa State 35–30 on the road with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Rocco Becht then drove the Cyclones 80 yards in 11 plays, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left. The Knights fell to 3–4 on the season.

vs No. 11 BYU

Statistics	BYU	UCF
First downs	29	18
Total yards	483	379
Rushing yards	255	181
Passing yards	228	198
Time of possession	40:28	19:32

BYU built a 17–0 lead in the first half, and pulled away for a 37–24 victory. Jacurri Brown started at quarterback for the Knights, but was benched in the fourth quarter after throwing two interceptions and managing only 96 yards. Dylan Rizk came in at quarterback and drove the Knights for two late touchdown scores, but time ran out for any chance at a comeback.

vs Arizona

Statistics	ARIZ	UCF
First downs	14	33
Total yards	261	602
Rushing yards	5	308
Passing yards	256	294
Time of possession	28:39	31:21

UCF hosted Arizona for the 8th annual Space Game. The Knights routed the Wildcats by the score of 56–12 to snap a five-game losing streak, and to improve to 8–0 all-time in the history of the Space Game. Redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk made his first start at quarterback, and threw for 294 yards and three touchdown passes.

RJ Harvey rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns, two in the first half. Harvey scored his first touchdown of the day on a 17-yard run in a heavy downpour. The play was set up by a Wildcats fumble one play earlier deep in their own territory. Harvey's second touchdown came in the second quarter, capping off a 99-yard drive which started inside their own 1 yard line. With UCF up 28–6 with 4 seconds left in the second quarter, Rizk connected to Randy Pittman Jr. for a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown as time expired. The Knights took a 35–6 lead into halftime.

The Knights controlled the game from start to finish, racking up 602 yards on offense under new offensive play-caller Tim Harris Jr. The Knights defense, under new defensive coordinator Addison Williams, held the Wildcats to 5 yards rushing, sacked quarterback Noah Fifita five times, and forced a turnover.

at Arizona State

Statistics	UCF	ASU
First downs	26	18
Total yards	406	260
Rushing yards	177	99
Passing yards	229	161
Time of possession	31:20	28:40

Dylan Rizk threw for 229 yards, and RJ Harvey scored three touchdowns, but the Knights fell 35–31 at Arizona State. Special teams miscues proved costly for the Knights. A blocked punt was returned for an Arizona State touchdown, then later a botched kickoff return led to a pick-six touchdown. With 3:24 left, and trailing by 4, the Knights faced 4th & 2 at the 22 yard line. RJ Harvey was tackled short of the line to gain, turning the ball over on downs. The Sun Devils were able to run the clock down, and secured the victory.

at West Virginia

Statistics	UCF	WVU
First downs	21	20
Total yards	348	318
Rushing yards	176	200
Passing yards	172	118
Time of possession	22:10	37:45

After a bye week, UCF traveled to West Virginia. The Knights fell 31–21, dropping to 4–7, and were eliminated from bowl eligibility. Running back RJ Harvey two rushing touchdowns, brining his career total to 46, which tied him with Kevin Smith for most all-time in program history.

vs Utah

Statistics	UTAH	UCF
First downs	11	22
Total yards	196	379
Rushing yards	85	173
Passing yards	111	206
Time of possession	27:34	32:26

Awards

	QB	Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year^[11] Week 3 — Manning Star of the Week^[12] Week 3 — Davey O'Brien Great 8 List^[13]
	WR	Big 12 Preseason All-Big 12 Offense
Lee Hunter	DL	Big 12 Preseason All-Big 12 Defense
	RB		Week 3 — Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week^[14] Week 3 — East–West Shrine Bowl Breakout Player of the Week^[15] Week 3 — Doak Walker Award National Running Back of the Week^[16] Doak Walker Award semifinalist^[17]
Randy Pittman Quadric Bullard RJ Harvey Ricky Barber		PFF Big 12 Team of the Week (November 9)^[18]

Notes and References

News: UCF fires defensive coordinator Ted Roof amid 5-game slide. Motorsport. Adam. Rittenberg. October 28, 2024. October 30, 2024.
News: UCF’s Malzahn fires defensive coordinator, will no longer call offensive plays. Spectrum New 13. October 29, 2024. November 3, 2024.
News: Sources: UCF's Gus Malzahn joining FSU as offensive coordinator. ESPN.com. Pete. Thamel. November 30, 2024. November 30, 2024.
Web site: 2024 UCF Football Transfer Portal. April 29, 2023 . On3 . en.
News: UCF Debuts 2024 Squad in Knights vs. ‘Nauts Spring Football Game. UCFAthletics.com. Justin. Wilson. April 12, 2024. July 29, 2024.
Web site: Utah Picked First in Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll . July 2, 2024 .
News: The 12th Annual Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist. August 28, 2024.
Web site: 2024 UCF Football Schedule . FBSchedules.com . 6 January 2024.
News: UCF, Arizona State lead Week 2 of college football uniforms. Kalan. Hooks. ESPN. September 6, 2024. September 9, 2024.
News: FOX's Big Noon Kickoff will air from Orlando ahead UCF vs. Colorado Saturday. Chris. Boyle. Chris. Vinel. The Daytona Beach News-Journal. September 22, 2024. September 23, 2024.
Web site: Big 12 Announces Media Preseason Football Team .
News: Eight Quarterbacks Named Manning Award Stars of the Week. AllstateSugarBowl.org. September 16, 2024. September 16, 2024.
News: Jefferson Named to Davey O’Brien Great 8 List, Manning Award Star of the Week. Justin. Wilson. UCFKnights.com. September 16, 2024. September 18, 2024.
News: Harvey Tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Justin. Wilson. UCFKnights.com. September 16, 2024. September 16, 2024.
News: East-West Shrine Bowl. September 16, 2024.
News: Doak Walker Award. September 17, 2024.
News: Doak Walker Award. November 20, 2024.
News: PFF Big 12 Team of the Week. November 12, 2024. November 18, 2024.