Settling in after personal setbacks
Hancock, Woodson are both eager and ready to contribute for Knights
Besides the quarterback position, no part of the UCF football team has been the subject of more questions this fall than the defensive line.
With jobs up for grabs along the new-look front, the Knights hope to lean, in part, upon two players who never have played a down at the Football Bowl Subdivision level: redshirt junior defensive tackle Noah Hancock and redshirt freshman defensive end Landon Woodson.
Hancock got his first taste of the college game at Concord University, a Division II school in his home state of West Virginia. He redshirted in 2015 before playing in 10 games the following season. But everything took a back seat when Hancock’s grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“She was like my best friend,” Hancock said, his voice cracking slightly. He pauses for a moment before continuing.
“When that happened, I was so focused on her and focused on
home that I kind pushed back on
Hancock tried to keep his grades up, but he finished his last semester at Concord with a 1.8 GPA and had his scholarship revoked.
His football journey was put on hold. Hancock didn’t play anywhere in 2017, but he also didn’t want to give up on his dreams. Hancock thought he was “overlooked” as a West Virginia product, so he wanted to go to a place where he knew he would gain more exposure.
He found that place in Miami at ASA College. In eight games last fall, Hancock recorded 12 tackles and 4 1⁄2 tackles for a loss. He also finished that semester with a 3.8 GPA.
Hancock said the whole point of moving to Miami was “to prove myself, to prove to my hometown and my state that I was not just another guy that got looked over and that I was just going to stay in town. I was going to work my butt off.”
Sure enough, Hancock started getting recruiting attention. He was in contact with the likes of Miami, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, but one school stuck out.
“Eventually, UCF came with that call, and I was ready,” he said.
Hancock cited the Knights’ recent on-field success as well as their family atmosphere away from the gridiron as reasons he chose to continue his of just everything.” odyssey in Orlando.
“It’s just a blessing, to be honest, because it’s rare to be in this position,” Hancock said. “Not a lot of people have this opportunity.”
Hancock has made the best of this opportunity. At 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, he has showcased the same athleticism he possessed as a 255-pound defensive end at Concord, He opened fall camp as a third-string player but moved to the second string within the first two weeks.
Although the Knights will roll out a committee attack at defensive tackle this season, Hancock has secured his spot as a cog in that wheel, according to defensive line coach Shane Burnham.
“He has earned our trust,” Burnham said. “Noah is doing good. [He’s] a really eager guy [who] takes a lot of pride in his work. I’ve been pleased about how he comes to practice every day.”
Echoing those sentiments, head coach Josh Heupel said last week Hancock was one of the most improved Knights in fall camp. He said the same about Woodson.
UCF envisioned using the 6-6, 240-pound Woodson as a true freshman in 2018, but his debut was postponed after he tore the ACL in his left knee during the opening week of fall camp.
One year later, Woodson isn’t bitter about his past; he knows that injuries are a part of the game. He is looking to make up for what he calls a missed opportunity.
“I feel a whole lot better, a whole lot stronger,” Woodson said. “Before [the injury], I was kind of wary of it because it was hurting. But now, no injury. It’s just full speed. No hesitation at all. I trust it a lot. … I’m back and better than ever now.”
With his health in order, Woodson can focus on improving his pass-rushing skills. He admits that he is “awfully speedy” at the snap, but when he is rushing out of a straight-up stance, he also gives opposing offensive linemen a big target to stop. So Woodson is working on staying lower while not losing any of that speed off the edge on his way to the quarterback.
In order to accomplish that goal, he watches a couple of tall All-Pros who know something about terrorizing QBs: J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.
“Those are two big, strong, lengthy guys who trigger their long arm and are fast off that ball,” Woodson said.
About two weeks out from the season opener, Woodson says he is “ecstatic” to play in his first FBS game. Like Hancock, he has spent a lot of time with the second-string defense in camp.
Unlike Hancock, Woodson understands exactly what the Knights are trying to replace on the defensive line this season. However, he agrees with his coaches that this iteration can be deeper and more athletic than its successful predecessors.
“We have a whole lot of bodies at the defensive linemen position, interior and exterior,” Woodson said. “I think we’ll be all right this year.”