Knights’ Jackson suffers knee injury
UCF sophomore guard Sam Jackson is expected to miss significant time during this offseason and a portion of next season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee late in spring practice, Knights coach Josh Heupel confirmed.
Jackson did not play in the spring game and Heupel hopes the offensive lineman can recover in time to compete during the 2018 season.
Jackson, a 6-foot-6, 356-pound lineman out of Bradenton Lakewood Ranch High, played in all 12 games during the Knights’ undefeated 2017 season as a true freshman.
He saw significant time after the Knights’ depthlacking line was further depleted when Tyler Hudanick did not fully recover from a knee injury suffered during the 2016 season and was not available for all 13 games in 2017.
The 2018 projected starting offensive front would have had Jackson in one of the guard spots, but the coaching staff moved Jordan Johnson, the Knights’ regular center, to fill in at guard during the spring game.
Entering preseason camp, the Knights’ projected starting offensive line will likely feature Johnson (JR, 6-2, 320) at one guard spot and Hudanick (SR, 6-5, 304) at the other.
The tackles will be veteran leader Wyatt Miller (RS-SR, 6-4, 306) on the right side and either Bo Swanson (RS-SO, 6-5, 306) or Jake Brown (RS-JR, 6-3, 305) at the left tackle spot, with Cole Schneider (RS-FR, 6-4, 305) sliding in at center.
Another key player in the depth chart could be Notre Dame transfer and Orlando Bishop Moore product Parker Boudreaux (RS-SO, 6-3, 293), a guard who sat out last season in observance of NCAA rules and played numerous snaps in the spring game.
The Knights could change their approach to development of freshmen and inexperienced players across the line. UCF may not have the luxury it once did in possibly redshirting players like incoming center Eric Seidelman from Bishop Moore. Seidelman and five offensive linemen in the 2018 recruiting class — two of which are junior college transfers — could be asked to play significant roles.