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UCF football continues to find talent in the transfer portal, this time getting a commitment from Kennesaw State linebacker Bryson Armstrong Thursday. Armstrong, who was the Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, becomes the eighth player to join the Knights program since the hiring of Gus Malzahn back in February. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder registered 314 career tackles along with 40 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks in 45 appearances for the Owls. That included 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in four games this spring as part of a truncated season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Armstrong was a three-time, first-team All-Big South selection from 2017-19, earning National Freshman of the Year honors in 2017. He signed with Kennesaw State out of Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia. - Orlando Sentinel

(DS#62 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB Bryson Armstrong, Central Florida
News Source: Orlando Sentinel
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05/11/21 - Jordan Johnson, rJr/2025, Central Florida, 6-1, 185 (DS#999 WR) + More +

For the second time in as many days, a former Notre Dame football player in the NCAA's transfer portal has found a new playing home. And for the second time in many days, that new home is a school in Florida. Former Irish wide receiver Jordan Johnson, a St. Louis native and five-star prospect coming out of high school, announced Tuesday afternoon on social media that he will play football at the University of Central Florida beginning in fall. Johnson has all four years of eligibility remaining and a fifth after the NCAA granted all college athletes an additional year because of the global pandemic. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Johnson enrolled at Notre Dame last summer out of DeSmet Jesuit in St. Louis. He played in just two games as a freshman - South Florida and Boston College - and did not record a catch. He didn't make a catch in the may 1 Blue-Gold Game either despite starting for the Blue team. - South Bend Tribune

(DS#999 WR) rJr/2025

WR Jordan Johnson, Central Florida
News Source: South Bend Tribune
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05/05/21 - Jordan Johnson, rJr/2025, Central Florida, 6-1, 185 (DS#999 WR) + More +

Jordan Johnson's freshman year will end in the next two weeks. It will also mark the end of his Notre Dame career. On Monday, the former five-star wide receiver recruit announced that he will be entering his name into the NCAA's transfer portal. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Johnson enrolled at Notre Dame last summer out of DeSmet Jesuit in St. Louis. He played in just two games as a freshman - South Florida and Boston College - and did not record a catch. He didn't make a catch in Saturday's Blue-Gold Game either despite starting for the Blue team. Rivals rated Johnson as a five-star prospect and ranked him as the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 28 overall in the 2020 class. 247Sports slated Johnson as a four-star recruit, the No. 11 wide receiver and No. 62 overall. Johnson could remove himself from the transfer portal and stay at Notre Dame much like senior safety Houston Griffith did in January, but that seems unlikely given Johnson's statement and how coveted he may be as a transfer candidate with at least four years of eligibility remaining. - South Bend Tribune

(DS#999 WR) rJr/2025

WR Jordan Johnson, Central Florida
News Source: South Bend Tribune
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05/03/21 - Tay Gowan, rSr/2021, Central Florida, 6-1, 186 (DS#53 CB) + More +

UCF set a school record with five players taken in the 2021 NFL Draft. Cornerback Tay Gowan and receivers Tre Nixon and Jacob Harris were among the players selected on the final day Saturday, joining defensive backs Richie Grant and Aaron Robinson, who were second-and third-round selections, respectively. It's the first time the school has had three defensive backs selected in the same draft. Harris was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round with the 141st pick while Gowan (No. 223) was taken in the sixth round by the Arizona Cardinals and Nixon (No. 242) selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round. - Orlando Sentinel

(DS#53 CB) rSr/2021

CB Tay Gowan, Central Florida
News Source: Orlando Sentinel
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05/02/21 - KJ Jefferson, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 6-3, 247 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Now wishing well whatever Feleipe Franks' professional future, Sam Pittman treasures Franks' Razorbacks past. And Franks' Razorbacks present. For while Franks quarterbacked his last game for Pittman's Razorbacks closing 2020, the via University of Florida graduate transfer remains Arkansas embodied through his 2021 successor. Third-year sophomore KJ Jefferson, Pittman believes, isn't the quarterback he is today without last season's eight games apprenticing behind Franks before starting Game Nine. Jefferson subbed for an injured Franks completing 18 of 33 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another TD starting Arkansas' 50-48 loss at Missouri. Meanwhile now second-year freshman No. 2 quarterback Malik Hornsby progressed in practice at his own pace behind Franks and Jefferson. Jefferson and Hornsby continued stepping up in the spring from what they began in Franks' shadow last fall. "What Feleipe did he bought our young kids time to develop," Pittman said. "That time obviously was shown when KJ went out the way he played against Missouri. We needed that." - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2025

QB KJ Jefferson, Central Florida
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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04/25/21 - JaVarrius Johnson, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 5-09, 180 (DS#999 WR) + More +

The injury bug was unkind to the Tigers this spring. In addition to Capers being held out after his surgery, Jackson was limited for most of the spring and Evans suffered an apparent hamstring injury on March 20 that significantly limited his next month of action. Their limitations didn't help a situation in which the Tigers needed as many players to be in the mix as possible. That being said, there were a few receivers who took advantage. Ja'Varrius Johnson was arguably the player on offense who turned the most heads this spring. Johnson saw limited action in his first two years as a Tiger, but he caught the coaches' attentions during the first few practice sessions and kept it up for the brunt of the 15-practice spring. The 5-foot-10, 159-pound Johnson is expected to play slot receiver and has to be viewed as the leading candidate for that role. - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2025

WR JaVarrius Johnson, Central Florida
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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04/25/21 - KJ Jefferson, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 6-3, 247 (DS#999 QB) + More +

KJ Jefferson heads toward the end of the school term and upcoming summer workouts comfortably in the QB1 spot at the University of Arkansas. But there's no time to get comfortable for the 6-3, 240-pound redshirt sophomore after holding on to the top job on offense throughout the 15 practices of spring. "Basically, I build off the confidence and trust in my teammates," Jefferson said after Saturday's Red-White spring finale. "Each and every day I try to at least grab one O-lineman, and I work with him. Just so I can trust him, and he can trust me, and just keep doing that throughout with all my teammates." Second-year Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman touted the leadership skills of Jefferson throughout the spring and the trust his teammates are putting into the third-year quarterback from Sardis, Miss. "I think he's certainly maturing," Pittman said Saturday. "He's got command of this team. His teammates believe in him. That's hard. You have to earn that at quarterback and he certainly has." - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2025

QB KJ Jefferson, Central Florida
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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04/23/21 - Ricky Barber, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 6-1, 296 (DS#56 DT) + More +

UCF could be adding another defensive lineman to its roster after former Western Kentucky redshirt freshman Ricky Barber Jr. announced Wednesday he's transferring to play for the Knights. Barber, who entered the transfer portal last week, is coming off a season in which he recorded 51 tackles with six tackles for loss and four sacks. Barber was a 3-star product out of Doss Magnet Career Academy (Louisville, Kentucky) when he signed with the Hilltoppers as part of their 2019 class. He appeared in four games in 2019 before redshirting the rest of the season. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound tackle was an All-Conference USA honorable mention in 2020, earning a spot on the Football Writers Association of America All-American team as well. He'll reunite with new UCF defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin, who coached tackles at Western Kentucky from 2018 until he left to join the Knights. - Orlando Sentinel

(DS#56 DT) rSr/2025

DT Ricky Barber, Central Florida
News Source: Orlando Sentinel
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04/20/21 - KJ Jefferson, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 6-3, 247 (DS#999 QB) + More +

In one half, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson put on display an improved touch on passes down the field Saturday in the Razorbacks' spring game. The frontrunner at the position entering the summer, Jefferson was locked in on his first four throws and guided his White team to a 17-3 lead after one quarter. He did not see the field in the second half, and the Red team ultimately finished the day with a 30-20 win to cap spring drills. Star receivers Treylon Burks and Mike Woods were on the receiving end of Jefferson's first four attempts, and three of the completions went for explosive plays.

Woods brought in a 33-yard touchdown pass to get White on the board, then Burks had a 31-yard score toward the end of the first quarter. "I'd have to go look back at every throw that he made, but I can tell you this: When I was standing out on the field, I was going, 'It'd be hard not to like this kid at quarterback,'" Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said. "He's big, he's strong, he's commanding and he was on point. "I don't know every single throw that he made, but I know as a head coach I was sitting back there going, 'I'm damn glad he's our quarterback." - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2025

QB KJ Jefferson, Central Florida
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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04/19/21 - Ricky Barber, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 6-1, 296 (DS#56 DT) + More +

Western Kentucky defensive tackle Ricky Barber has entered the transfer portal, WKU confirmed to the Daily News on Friday. The news was first reported by the Rivals NCAA Transfer Portal Twitter account, and retweeted by Barber. Barber started each of the team's 12 games last season and totaled 58 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble. He came on strong at the end of the season, with 10 tackles in the LendingTree Bowl loss to Georgia State and five of his tackles for loss and three sacks coming in the final four games. - BG Daily News

(DS#56 DT) rSr/2025

DT Ricky Barber, Central Florida
News Source: BG Daily News
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04/18/21 - John Rhys Plumlee, rSr/2024, Central Florida, 6-0, 203 (DS#17 QB) + More +

It's hard to find a backup quarterback anywhere in college football with better name recognition than John Rhys Plumlee. There's good reason for that. Not many backup quarterbacks ran for 1,000 yards as true freshmen, are key cogs for top-10 baseball programs or have their piano-playing past referenced on nearly every game broadcast. And, perhaps most crucially at this point, not many backup quarterbacks led their team to bowl wins by making crucial plays at wide receiver. Plumlee made it clear after the Outback Bowl that he sees himself as a quarterback.

He's started eight games at quarterback and scored 17 touchdowns in two years. But in the 2021 Outback Bowl Plumlee subbed in as a slot receiver and caught five passes for 73 yards. That included three catches for 55 yards on the Rebels' game-winning touchdown drive with less than five minutes remaining. That performance has led to speculation about whether Ole Miss views Plumlee as a receiver or quarterback. That speculation can't really go anywhere this spring since Plumlee is playing baseball. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Plumlee has dropped in for a few quarterback meetings this spring when he's had spare time. - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2024

QB John Rhys Plumlee, Central Florida
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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04/15/21 - JaVarrius Johnson, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 5-09, 180 (DS#999 WR) + More +

The name "Ja'Varrius Johnson" has gone from rarely mentioned to a common topic in the span of three weeks of spring practice. The wide receiver is a redshirt sophomore who was plagued by injuries and didn't play a game in 2019 and played just one game in 2020. But he's healthy now, and he's starting to show what he's capable of. To Johnson, being healthy makes all the difference. "That's one of the biggest parts," Johnson said. "When I first came in I had that pelvis injury which led into last year. It was kind of hurting me still a little bit but I battled through it. This year I'm able to go through everything completely without it hurting and I'm staying healthy." Being held back by injury is always tough, Johnson said, but he's been through it before. His previous experiences helped him to get through the most recent one, he said. But it's a really good feeling to be able to show what he can do. And people have noticed. Last season, Johnson played in just one game, but it was against Georgia. Afterwards former coach Gus Malzahn described him as talented and someone who could help Auburn moving forward. After just a few days of spring with the new staff, Auburn's new coaches saw that potential, too. - Birmingham News

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2025

WR JaVarrius Johnson, Central Florida
News Source: Birmingham News
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04/07/21 - Jake Hescock, rSr/2022, Central Florida, 6-6, 250 (DS#999 TE) + More +

Jake Hescock is a college football anomaly. At 24 years old, Hescock isn't necessarily UCF's version of Father Time, but the super-senior tight end is the veteran presence on this team. "The first thing I did was ask him if he was the same age I was," joked new tight ends coach Brian Blackmon. "He's been in college football forever." Hescock has been a part of the Knights program since 2017 when he arrived as a transfer from Wisconsin. So when Josh Heupel suddenly left to become the head coach at Tennessee Jan. 27, it was Hescock who stepped up to calm his teammates. "This is my fourth different coaching staff now, so I'm definitely a veteran in that area," said Hescock, who missed part of spring camp while dealing with COVID issues. "It's difficult sometimes not to know what's coming, especially in our profession. We want to be prepared and have a plan, so when that plan is not right there in front of you, some guys get anxious and nervous. "I've been through it before, so I was able to provide some calmness and reassure those guys that everything is fine, everything is going to work out and we're going to be in good hands in the end." - Orlando Sentinel

(DS#999 TE) rSr/2022

TE Jake Hescock, Central Florida
News Source: Orlando Sentinel
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04/05/21 - Ladarius Tennison, rSr/2025, Central Florida, 5-09, 207 (DS#111 SS) + More +

One of the big questions surrounding the secondary this offseason concerned who plays safety alongside Monday after Sherwood declared for the draft following his junior season. While there's still plenty time for that question to be answered, it appears two players are thoroughly in the mix. Rising sophomore Ladarius Tennison played nickelback behind Tutt in 2020 and ended the season with 21 tackles, but through the start of spring he's gotten looks as Sherwood's replacement at safety. Tennison handled safety duties alongside Monday on the first-team defense during the Tigers' open spring practice on March 20. Mason said on March 22 that Monday was definitely going to be the leader in the secondary given his experience but also commended Tennison for how he had performed through the early portion of the spring. "I have seen LT - Tennison - show up, and he's been phenomenal back there in the first three practices in terms of how him and Smoke have worked together in terms of their ability to communicate," Mason said. - Opelika-Auburn News

(DS#111 SS) rSr/2025

SS Ladarius Tennison, Central Florida
News Source: Opelika-Auburn News
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04/05/21 - Brandon Johnson, rSr/2022, Central Florida, 6-2, 195 (DS#74 WR) + More +

Growing up in South Florida, UCF wideout Brandon Johnson gravitated toward superstar NFL receivers like Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson for inspiration on the football field. Another player he idolized was closer to home: Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson, who happens to be his cousin. "He's a great receiver to look up to," Johnson said of his six-time Pro Bowler family member. Johnson is in his first season with the Knights, arriving as a graduate transfer from Tennessee in December. The former 3-star Fort Lauderdale prospect spent five seasons with the Volunteers, bringing some much-needed experience to the UCF receivers group. "I came here for the storied wide receiver tradition," said Johnson, who has 969 career yards. "Some great wide receivers have come from here before I came here, so I just want to come and try to live up to that legacy."

UCF has seen a dozen players selected in the NFL draft including Gabe Davis (2019), Tre'Quan Smith (2018), Breshad Perriman (2015), Mike Sims-Walker (2007) and Brandon Marshall (2006). The program has also produced a 1,000-yard receiver in three of the past four seasons including Marlon Williams (1,039 yards) last season. But the departures of Williams, Tre Nixon and Jacob Harris have left the receivers group lacking practical experience. - Orlando Sentinel

(DS#74 WR) rSr/2022

WR Brandon Johnson, Central Florida
News Source: Orlando Sentinel
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