As UCF moves closer to its season opener against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 3, the Knights continue to tinker with their offensive line.
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New offensive line coach AJ Blazek was like a mad scientist in spring camp, moving players around, hoping to find the right fit. Even returning starter Preston Cushman, who started all 12 games last season at right tackle, has seen time at guard.
Now, as preseason camp winds down, the Knights appear to have decided on a few positions, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t healthy competition among the others.
“We settled on some spots going into the summer, but we’re still looking at two or three guys,” Blazek said recently. “I feel like we have the guys in the right spots now. Versatility is really good for us.
“What you’re seeing is the athletic guys finding their way to the field.”
Blazek would like to enter the season with an eight-man rotation, but could also see that number grow to as many as 10.
“Eight is even a little bit of a luxury in this day and age,” said Blazek, who was an All-Big Ten center at Iowa in the late 1990s.
Outside of Cushman, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound redshirt senior, UCF has a strong core of talent up front, most brought in from the transfer market. Henry Tabansi, Brady Wayburn, Cooper Terpstra and Tyler Gibson arrived in January along with true freshmen Kasiyah Charlton and Amahn Williams.
Returnees Connor Meadows, Jacob Maiava, Owen Spell, Camp Lott, Laparka Langston, Justin Royes and RaiShaun McHaney have also made impressions in camp.
“We’re more athletic than we have been,” said coach Scott Frost. “We’ll see how the whole thing shakes out, but we have some options there and there’s competition there as well.”
Cushman believes this offensive line group is much closer than it was last season.
“We’re more experienced and just a bunch of great freakin’ football players who I’m excited to play with,” said Cushman.
Preseason projections have most of the spots locked in, with Cushman and Tabansi set at right and left tackle, respectively. The guard spots could wind up in the hands of Wayburn, Spell, Royes and Meadows, although that could change.
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“If you’ve got bad guards, you’re not going to run the ball,” said Blazek.
Meadows, meanwhile, has been in a healthy competition with Maiava and Terpstra for the center spot.
“He’s unselfish and willing to do a lot of different things,” Frost said of the 6-4, 300-pound Meadows, who is in his second season with the Knights. “He played guard in spring and we wanted to get him ready at center. I’m still not 100% sure where he’ll fit, but we’re operating pretty well with him at center.”
Added Wayburn of his new teammate: “He brings energy every day. Even when things may not go our way, he’s really good at locking that out and moving on to the next play.”
UCF finished near the bottom of the Big 12 in rushing offense, averaging 158 yards per game last season. To improve on those figures, the Knights will need better run blocking.
Blazek, who has developed offensive lines at Wisconsin, Rutgers and North Dakota State, impresses upon his players the importance of the zone scheme.
“Our priority right now is the wide zone and the screen game,” said Blazek. “When you put the tape on, that’s an appealing thing for a kid to come play for. We look at the NFL right now; they’re throwing more screens because they can’t just line up and run it in the box.”
To achieve success, offensive coordinator Steve Cooper believes the offensive line must play as one unit.
“The biggest thing is getting in-sync as an offense and obviously, it starts up front,” said Cooper. “What you want is a collection of guys that have a lot of continuity to the guy to the left and to the right.”
Blazek has been impressed with his players’ cohesiveness.
“I’m excited as hell to watch these kids go play because in a time when there should be less connection, I feel really good with this football team,” said Blazek. “I’m excited for that because I think that dictates, in the long run, who’s going to be really good.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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