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ORLANDO — Class is in session this spring for UCF's pass rushers and, fortunately for position coach Mike Dawson, his players completed beginner courses some time ago.
Relative to other pockets of the Knights' roster, the defensive line — particularly the rush group — possesses a wealth of high-level experience.
"It's fun with guys that have a base understanding. You get out of Football 101 and start getting into the higher-level classes," said Dawson, beginning his second stint at UCF under Scott Frost. "You get to teach them the intricacies. Not only 'Hey, do this!' But you can get into why you want to do this instead of that, or at this time this might be a better technique or fundamental than in this situation. To be able to have those conversations with the guys is really fun."
UCF Knights football: Recruiting class for 2026 expands with addition of Georgia O-lineman
UCF produced its fair share of pressure on opposing quarterbacks during its ill-fated 2024 campaign, but it didn't lead to much production. The Knights registered 22 sacks, tying for 78th in the Football Bowl Subdivision on a per-game basis (1.83).
Eleven of those 22 sacks occurred in UCF's final four games, following the dismissal of Ted Roof as defensive coordinator and with the team spiraling toward its first bowl absence since 2015.
Alex Grinch, hired in December as the Knights' new DC, will deploy three- and four-man fronts within his scheme — allowing for rotation within the potentially deep edge and interior units.
Starting defensive ends Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence returned for UCF, as did rotational rushers Isaiah Nixon and Jamaal Johnson. Kelly paced the Knights with 5½ sacks and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (9½), while Lawrence produced a 13.6% pass-rush win rate and registered a team-best 28 pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
"It's the little things we're learning with Coach Dawson — teaching us our first step, where to place our hands, when to turn our hips, when to reach for the quarterback," Kelly said. "(He's helped me) with my long arm, putting my hips up under me, with my get-off, with my pad level, with my footwork. Everything he's teaching is helping progress my game."
UCF made one addition to the edge group from the portal, a player verbally committed to the Knights for 10 months during his high school tenure at nearby Wekiva — Pittsburgh transfer Sincere Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound sophomore had 17 tackles, six TFLs and three sacks at Pitt, playing 349 defensive snaps.
"High-motor guy," Dawson said. "Really doing a great job running around being fast and physical on the field. He's been fun to coach."
Applying consistent pressure will not be simply the task of UCF's edge rushers, but also of its defensive tackles. Kenny Martin will work with a largely new group along the interior; Ricky Barber, Lee Hunter and Matthew Alexander combined to log more than 1,500 snaps a season ago.
John Walker, the program's highest-rated recruit in history, continues to work his way back after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, practicing in a non-contact jersey.
"He's progressing well. Everything is on time with John. He's going to be ready for everything," Martin said. "He's taking the more mental state of everything. There's some things he can do — hitting the bags, being able to lock stuff out, being able to do stuff without going body-on-body.
"The other thing he's doing good with me is a lot of one-on-one pass rush. He gets to understand the true pass rush, what moves he can do and fine-tuning his toolbox."
Martin sought to fill the void in experience by targeting Tulsa's RJ Jackson and Georgia Tech's Horace Lockett from the portal. Jackson, a converted tight end, had 35 tackles, four TFLs and three sacks last year for the Golden Hurricane. Lockett missed the '24 campaign due to a hand injury but forced a fumble and made three tackles against UCF in the previous year's Gasparilla Bowl.
Excited to mold the newcomers and emerging supporting cast alike, Martin's main goal for the spring is to teach violence at the point of attack.
"I told the guys out there that this is the only sport where you can be violent and not get in trouble," Martin said. "All violence will solve all your issues. I want us to be known as a violent group, a group that gets to the ball and a group that's respected.
"When guys want to run the ball, they better go to the perimeter. That's the expectation for us. We want to be physical up front, locking things out and being disruptive, even in the pass rush. I want to be able to penetrate, knock stuff back and affect the quarterback. … A lot of people want to put defensive ends (inside). No sir. We're going to push that pocket inside, and we've got to prove that here."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Defensive line aims for pressure, violence
Continue reading...
Relative to other pockets of the Knights' roster, the defensive line — particularly the rush group — possesses a wealth of high-level experience.
"It's fun with guys that have a base understanding. You get out of Football 101 and start getting into the higher-level classes," said Dawson, beginning his second stint at UCF under Scott Frost. "You get to teach them the intricacies. Not only 'Hey, do this!' But you can get into why you want to do this instead of that, or at this time this might be a better technique or fundamental than in this situation. To be able to have those conversations with the guys is really fun."
UCF Knights football: Recruiting class for 2026 expands with addition of Georgia O-lineman
UCF produced its fair share of pressure on opposing quarterbacks during its ill-fated 2024 campaign, but it didn't lead to much production. The Knights registered 22 sacks, tying for 78th in the Football Bowl Subdivision on a per-game basis (1.83).
Eleven of those 22 sacks occurred in UCF's final four games, following the dismissal of Ted Roof as defensive coordinator and with the team spiraling toward its first bowl absence since 2015.
Alex Grinch, hired in December as the Knights' new DC, will deploy three- and four-man fronts within his scheme — allowing for rotation within the potentially deep edge and interior units.
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Starting defensive ends Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence returned for UCF, as did rotational rushers Isaiah Nixon and Jamaal Johnson. Kelly paced the Knights with 5½ sacks and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (9½), while Lawrence produced a 13.6% pass-rush win rate and registered a team-best 28 pressures, per Pro Football Focus.
"It's the little things we're learning with Coach Dawson — teaching us our first step, where to place our hands, when to turn our hips, when to reach for the quarterback," Kelly said. "(He's helped me) with my long arm, putting my hips up under me, with my get-off, with my pad level, with my footwork. Everything he's teaching is helping progress my game."
UCF made one addition to the edge group from the portal, a player verbally committed to the Knights for 10 months during his high school tenure at nearby Wekiva — Pittsburgh transfer Sincere Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound sophomore had 17 tackles, six TFLs and three sacks at Pitt, playing 349 defensive snaps.
"High-motor guy," Dawson said. "Really doing a great job running around being fast and physical on the field. He's been fun to coach."
Applying consistent pressure will not be simply the task of UCF's edge rushers, but also of its defensive tackles. Kenny Martin will work with a largely new group along the interior; Ricky Barber, Lee Hunter and Matthew Alexander combined to log more than 1,500 snaps a season ago.
You must be registered for see images attach
John Walker, the program's highest-rated recruit in history, continues to work his way back after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, practicing in a non-contact jersey.
"He's progressing well. Everything is on time with John. He's going to be ready for everything," Martin said. "He's taking the more mental state of everything. There's some things he can do — hitting the bags, being able to lock stuff out, being able to do stuff without going body-on-body.
"The other thing he's doing good with me is a lot of one-on-one pass rush. He gets to understand the true pass rush, what moves he can do and fine-tuning his toolbox."
Martin sought to fill the void in experience by targeting Tulsa's RJ Jackson and Georgia Tech's Horace Lockett from the portal. Jackson, a converted tight end, had 35 tackles, four TFLs and three sacks last year for the Golden Hurricane. Lockett missed the '24 campaign due to a hand injury but forced a fumble and made three tackles against UCF in the previous year's Gasparilla Bowl.
You must be registered for see images attach
Excited to mold the newcomers and emerging supporting cast alike, Martin's main goal for the spring is to teach violence at the point of attack.
"I told the guys out there that this is the only sport where you can be violent and not get in trouble," Martin said. "All violence will solve all your issues. I want us to be known as a violent group, a group that gets to the ball and a group that's respected.
"When guys want to run the ball, they better go to the perimeter. That's the expectation for us. We want to be physical up front, locking things out and being disruptive, even in the pass rush. I want to be able to penetrate, knock stuff back and affect the quarterback. … A lot of people want to put defensive ends (inside). No sir. We're going to push that pocket inside, and we've got to prove that here."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Defensive line aims for pressure, violence
Continue reading...
