Bethune enters transfer portal

LB was Knights’ leading tackler but has decided to move on

UCF linebacker Tatum Bethune has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday morning.

Bethune finished the 2021 season as UCF’s leading tackler (101), becoming the 43rd member of UCF’s 100-tackle club. He appeared in and started all 11 games for the Knights, who finished 9-4 during Gus Malzahn’s first season as coach.

“It has been an honor and privilege to represent the University of Central Florida,” Bethune wrote on social media shortly after news broke. “At this time, I’d like to announce that I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal.”

The junior from Miami received second-team All-AAC honors by Pro Football Focus and the Phil Steele football magazine while earning an honorable mention by the league’s coaches.

Bethune played in all 10 games, starting five times at linebacker as a sophomore in 2020. He finished third on the team with 57 tackles, and fourth with 7.0 tackles for loss that season.

During his freshman season, Bethune came off the bench as the top reserve behind Nate Evans. Playing in every game, he totaled 20 tackles while forcing a fumble, a quarterback hurry and a pass break-up.

It’s unclear why Bethune decided to enter the transfer portal but the move has been described as a difficult one for the junior who will have two years of eligibility remaining.

One potential landing spot could be an in-state school. Former UCF defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Randy Shannon, who recruited Bethune to Orlando, was recently elevated to co-defensive coordinator and linebackers

coach at Florida State.

Shannon joined FSU’s coaching staff as a senior defensive analyst for the 2021 season after spending three years at UCF working under former UCF coach Josh Heupel, who departed for Tennessee a year ago.

Bethune recorded 80 total tackles, including 62 solo stops, as a senior at Miami Central in 2018 before signing with UCF.

“These past three years have been amazing,” Bethune wrote. “I want to thank ‘Knight Nation’ for their unmatched support that will always hold a special spot in my heart.”