If there was one thing that was clear coming out of UCF’s spring game a few weeks ago it was that there is still a lot of work to do for the Knights to reach the level they want to reach. A new offense was slowly getting installed and still had its hiccups. The defense was well ahead of the offense.
The greatest positive sign for the Knights and their future might have been on the sidelines.
There next to the vast amounts of NFL alumni who returned to Orlando for this celebration was quite literally the program’s future. A large amount of UCF’s incoming recruiting class was at Bright House Networks Stadium to watch UCF’s first public display of its new offense — hiccups and all.
Scott Frost put together a strong recruiting class fairly quickly and built up a lot of excitement about the program. The Knights began making immediate waves. And the buy in is high from the incoming recruits, as several told Juan Toribio of Knights247.
“I think with the signees we have coming in we will be unstoppable in the next few years,” said offensive lineman signee Boman Swanson. “I mean, only two years ago the team won a BCS bowl game so all of us have a goal to get back to that level,” he added. “We know it’s gonna take time and hard work, but we are ready and eager to get up there and start working.”
A lot of the comments were about the excitement of the no-huddle offense. Recruits have taken to this up-tempo style and the mentality it takes to run an effective and fast-paced offense. UCF certainly is still installing that and learning how to do that.
Recruits at the game also expressed how much Frost said the freshman class is going to need to contribute immediately and be a part of this program’s rebirth and rebranding. That much was clear too with the way the team played. The Knights have to improve their depth to have a chance and get more speed out on the perimeter to be successful.
No one is quite sure exactly how this whole thing will work for sure. That adds to the excitement and mystery.
It is pretty certain this thing cannot get worse after last year’s embarrassing winless season. Everyone seems to have forgotten about that. The culture and expectation and excitement have changed that much.
There were 23,000-plus fans at the spring game to watch a work in progress. The excitement for this team is very real.
We will have to wait until August to see how this all comes together. Expect the newcomers and incoming freshman to play a big role in whatever the Knights become.
