UCF searching for replacements from new receiving corps.

The two plays that changed UCF’s seasons the last two years have come at the hands of its wide receivers.

J.J. Worten spreading out and catching it one handed at Temple to keep the dream run to the Fiesta Bowl alive. Then came Breshad Perriman’s tip drill catch on the Hail Mary at East Carolina to keep UCF’s conference title dreams alive. The Knights have been blessed at receiver during this run.

Not anymore.

Perriman, Worten and Rashad Hall all graduated, leaving the Knights with a large hole at wide receiver. Justin Holman may be more confident and may be ready to take on more leadership, but who he will be throwing it to could very well determine the Knights’ season.

For a clearer picture, Perriman, Worten and Hall accounted for 135 receptions, 2,058 yards and 20 touchdowns. That is 57.9 percent of the team’s receptions, 67.3 percent of the team’s yards and 87.0 percent of the team’s touchdowns. There were only three touchdown receptions from receivers outside those three players.

That is what is left for Justin Holman to throw to this season.

No offense is complete without a complementing running and passing game. William Stanback provides plenty of experience with him, but is still somewhat inconsistent and has a history of dealing with nagging injuries. The wide receiver unit is almost completely open.

The top returner is Dontravious Wilson — 13 receptions for 56 yards — and true sophomore Jordan Akins — 12 receptions, 135 yards. In essence, the Knights will have a completely new set of receivers to throw to. And some of them are new receivers, even!

Former quarterback Nick Patti spent the offseason preparing to play wide receiver. Patti is still getting comfortable with the position, as he told Brandon Helwig of UCFSports.com:

I’m getting more and more comfortable and enjoying it more and more every day. As you learn anything, I think you get more comfortable doing it. I’m grasping it. I’m trying to embrace the role. Every day I’m feeling more like that. It’s going well. Every day is getting better.

The other receivers in the bunch include true freshman Tristan Payton and redshirt freshman Tre’Quan Smith. The tight ends include Michael Campbell, who moved from the offensive line this spring and Cedric Thompson, who moved from running back.

Holman is going to be looking at a lot of new faces throughout the season.

This is where UCF receivers coach Sean Beckton has to thrive. As he told Shannon Green of the Orlando Sentinel, this is where he thrives:

Once those kids get out there and learn the game of football, learn how to practice and do things our way here. Learn how to set defenders up and all the detail things that go into coaching . . . those are the things I’m looking forward to getting back to — teaching. I didn’t have to do that as much the last two years because those guys were older, juniors and seniors. I had already taught those guys as freshmen how to do those things.

There will be a lot of teaching going on with so much youth and inexperience on the roster. Even at quarterback, there will surely be some things Holman has to learn as he gets used to working with a new set of receivers.

Someone will have to step up in this group for UCF to compete for a third straight AAC title.

The talent is certainly there. While the Knights were voted to finish fourth in the preseason AAC poll, the separation in the East Division is not by much. UCF certainly could surprise. And with experience at quarterback, along the line and at halfback, there is certainly the opportunity and space for this group to take that step forward.

The question is will they?