UCF football finished the 2022 season with a solid 9-5 record and AAC runner up to Tulane. The Knights only lost to Louisville, East Carolina, Navy, Tulane, and Duke in the bowl game. With that said, they had strong wins over SMU, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Tulane in the regular season. This team played six games that came down to single digits last year.
DraftKings Sportsbook puts the UCF win total at 6.5 with the over juiced to -175. UCF also sits at +3500 to win the Big 12, which tied Kansas, but ranks middle of the pack in this conference. With that said, let’s dive into our 2023 UCF football season preview.
2023 UCF Football Predictions & Season Preview
2023 UCF Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Now entering year three of the Gus Malzahn era, UCF has back to back nine win season under the former Auburn coach. Overall, the Knights have an 18-9 record over the last two years. Interestingly, UCF now replaces both coordinators. On offense, UCF brought in Darin Hinshaw, who most recently coordinated UAB’s offense in 2022. Prior to that, he worked as an offensive analyst with UCF and Malzahn in 2021. On defense, Addison Williams received a promotion after coaching defensive backs for UCF from 2021-2022. Overall, the continuity here should be a positive for UCF.
2023 UCF Football Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
At quarterback, UCF returns former Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee. Last year, Plumlee completed 218 of his 346 attempts (63%) for 2,586 yards (7.5 yards per attempt), 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Plumlee also has excellent mobility with 862 yards and 11 scores on 159 carries last year. These numbers include 29 sacks, which could improve Plumlee’s rushing numbers further this year if positive regression occurs.
Ultimately, Plumlee still has work to do as a er. He finished ninth in the AAC last year as a pure er, according to PFF. However, he jumps to seventh when factoring in the rushing. Overall, 2023 should be spent focusing on avoiding the negative plays within Plumlee’s game.
Behind him, UCF added three transfers in Timmy McClain (South Florida), Xavier Williams (Charlotte), and Gunnar Smith (South Florida). McClain has the best shot at earning backup duties after playing considerably in 2021. With USF, he completed 55.3% of his es for 7.2 yards per attempt, five scores, and seven interceptions. McClain does offer some mobility with 238 yards on 123 attempts that season.
Williams played (poorly) in a few games with Charlotte last year. He threw 67 times for 420 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), two scores, and two interceptions. Also mobile, Williams rushed 26 times for 108 yards. Smith has yet to play in his career. While they lost backup Mikey Keene to transfer, this quarterback should still be a strength for UCF in 2023.
Running Back
While Plumlee actually led the team in rushing last year, UCF lost their top running back in Isaiah Bowser. Last year, Bowser ed for 799 rushing yards and 15 scores on 205 attempts. He also caught 14 es for 185 yards. However, UCF returns Johnny Richardson and RJ Harvey from last year’s team.
Harvey in particular burst onto the scene with 796 rushing yards on 118 attempts. The 5-8, 195 pound back also caught 22 balls for 215 yards. Overall, he averaged 3.57 yards after and a forced missed tackle on 32.2% of his attempts. Richardson finished with 370 rushing yards on 54 attempts, while catching 22 balls for 122 yards. Richardson only stands 5-7, 170 pounds, but he averaged 3.91 yards after and a forced missed tackle on 24.1% of his attempts.
With both backs coming in a little undersized, UCF added Demarkcus Bowman (Florida) and Kam Ingram (Bethune-Cookman) for depth. Bowman stands 5-10, 193 pounds and has 23 career rushing attempts through his three college seasons. Bowman originally ed Clemson as a five-star recruit in 2020. Ingram stands 5-8, 175 and should provide depth here. While losing Bowser will be tough, Harvey proved far more explosive last year. More work for Harvey should mean good outcomes for this backfield.
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