Knights boast deep, talented QB group
The quarterback position was one of the biggest uncertainties facing UCF entering the 2019 football season.
True freshman Dillon Gabriel wound up earning the starting job in Week 2, leading the Knights to a 9-3 record while passing for 3,653 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Gabriel is expected to remain the starter in 2020 and build on his success once the coronavirus pandemic is contained enough to allow college football teams to resume workouts.
But third-year UCF coach Josh Heupel has consistently said he isn’t ready to name Gabriel the starter just yet.
“We’ve had great effort and guys are pushing to become their best,” Heupel said of the quarterbacks. “And if you want to become a great player, you’ve got to separate yourself and every decision is a building block to take you where you want to be.”
New UCF quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle added, “Dillon is grinding harder than I’ve ever seen him. We had to pull him back and tell him, ‘Hey, rest is important too.’ We’re not letting him do everything he wants to do because we need to keep him fresh — that’s how hard he’s grinding.”
Here’s a closer look at where the Knights’ quarterback position stands during the offseason:
Starter: Dillon Gabriel
Backups: Darriel Mack Jr., Quadry Jones,
Hayden Kingston, Parker Navarro, McKenzie Milton
Gone: Brandon Wimbush
The Buzz: McKenzie Milton continues rehabbing the career-threatening knee injury he suffered in the regular-season finale in 2018. Milton’s progress is stunning considering the severity of the injury. He even participated in spring practice — albeit on a limited basis — before workouts were halted by the coronavirus outbreak. A return date is still up in the air. … After transferring to Alabama State in the offseason, Quadry Jones had a change of heart and returned to the UCF program in February. He joins Darriel Mack Jr., giving the Knights some much-needed depth and experience at the position. … Newcomer
Parker Navarro becomes the second quarterback signed since Josh Heupel took over the program in 2018. The Arizona product was a late addition to the 2020 recruiting class, but Halzle said he sees a lot of similarities between Navarro and Milton, who led the Knights to an unbeaten 2017 season. “You turn on his highlight tape and the first guy that pops into your head is McKenzie Milton,” Halzle said of the Desert Vista High product. “He’s spinning off tackles, throwing balls 25 to 30 yards downfield with his chest wide open. He can flick his wrist and throw it as far as he wants.”