Secondary returning a wealth of experience
The one thing a football coach teach is practical experience.
Luckily for UCF and secondary coach Willie Martinez, the Knights boast seasoned defensive backs.
The team has nine defensive backs with starting experience, led by safety Richie Grant (24 career starts), cornerback Brandon Moore (21), safety Antwan Collier (14), nickel Aaron Robinson (9) and cornerback Tay Gowan (8).
“As an entire group, obviously if you compare it to a year ago, we’re ahead of it — from an effort standpoint to an attitude standpoint, from holding each other accountable, they’re doing a much better job with players demanding from each other,” Martinez said of what he’s seen from the group this spring.
“They’re more vocal. They’re more understanding of the scheme and again, they’re holding each other accountable to be more vocal, to be more confident. No one is afraid to make a mistake. They’re putting themselves out there. That’s where they’re ahead of last year.”
The team must replace Nevelle Clarke, a two-year starter who appeared in 41 games. Clarke wrapped up a productive career that saw him amass 107 tackles with 29 passes defended and five interceptions.
UCF finished with one of the top pass defenses in the American Athletic Conference and the Knights were one of the best teams in the country in passes defended. Yet Martinez believes there is plenty of room for improvement.
“I would like to see the tackling improve,” he said. “We’ve improved from a year ago but it’s still not where it needs to be. We gave up too many — especially late in the year — we had too many missed tackles.
“I think we can play the ball better in the air. We dropped some picks and I think by preparing better, they’ll get themselves in more positions to make plays on the ball. I would like to see more not just pass breakups but interceptions.”
The Knights forced 13 interceptions last season, the fewest since the program’s 0-12 season in 2015.
UCF enters next season with a seniorladen group in the secondary, which is why the coaching staff made defensive backs a priority in this past recruiting cycle. The Knights signed six secondary players in the 2020 class led by a pair of junior college products in Devunte Dawson (Coffeyville C.C.) and Emmanuel Appiah-Takyi (Monroe College).
Said Martinez of Appiah-Takyi, “He’s a lot more experienced than you think. He’s smart. We asked him to gain weight when he first got here and he’s gained already 10 pounds. He’s dependable and he’s accountable. He’s quick. He had his best day today.”
But the most anticipated new face in the lineup could be a familiar one.
Moore suffered a torn ACL in last year’s opener against Florida A&M and missed all of last season. As he works to make his way back onto the field through rehab, Moore continues to make an impact with the group.
“He’s connected with the guys,” Martinez said of Moore. “… He’s involved. He’s in our meetings and he’s on the field. The younger guys, the inexperienced guys or the new guys, see that and it needs to be seen because he’s one of our best players. He’s right where he needs to be.”
Martinez wouldn’t say whether he expects Moore to see contact during preseason camp in the fall.
“I can’t make that call right now. We’re going to be smart about it,” he said, adding that there are plenty of ways for the redshirt senior to get work in without physical contact. can’t