UCF Knights football

History

UCF has had eight head coaches since organized football began in 1979. The Knights have played nearly 400 games in their 34 seasons. In that time, 2 coaches have led the Knights to the postseason: Gene McDowell and George O'Leary. McDowell in 1987, 1990, and 1993, and O'Leary in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012. O'Leary is the only coach to win a division or conference championship at the school. Before leading UCF in 1983 and 1984, Lou Saban was a head coach in both the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). O'Leary also coached in the NFL between 2002 and 2004.

Don Jonas era (1979–1981)

The UCF football program can be traced back to a speech given by the university's second president, Dr. Trevor Colbourn, in January 1979. Colbourn believed that a successful athletics program would bring the university greater renown, and tasked Dr. Jack O'Leary with the job of creating a new football program at the school. In addition, Colbourn changed the name of the school to the University of Central Florida, to express the university's expanded academic scope.

Beginning at the Division III level, when the school was still widely known as Florida Technological University, O'Leary, then the university's athletic director, held a meeting of prospective players in March 1979. This would be the first football tryouts for prospective players, and would serve as the first that many students would hear about the new athletic program. O'Leary had previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama under Paul "Bear" Bryant. He would spearhead the effort to raise more than $40,000 to start the program, and would complete a deal for the team to play in the Tangerine Bowl. Without a budget to hire a staff, O'Leary reached out to six UCF graduate students as volunteer assistants. From there, O'Leary was able to lure Don Jonas, a former NFL quarterback and Orlando dignitary, to become UCF's first head football coach on a voluntary basis.

One day during a practice, O'Leary pulled the team aside and unveiled the template for uniforms of "The Fighting Knights". He would reveal a template that would follow the team into the 21st century: black jerseys, gold pants and gold helmets. Less than one year after Colbourn had envisioned a football program for the university, UCF played its first game on September 22, 1979 against St. Leo University. The Knights would prove victorious with a 21–0 shutout, and less than a week later, the Knights would win their first home game by defeating Ft. Benning, 7–6. Jonas led the Knights to a 6–2 inaugural season, behind an average attendance of 11,240, including a Division III record crowd of 14,138. Following the season, in March 1980, Jonas was offered the Knights head coaching as a full-time position. After leading the team to a 4–4–1 and 4–6 record in 1980 and 1981 respectively, Jonas would leave the Knights following the 1981 season. During the 1980 season, the Knights earned the only tie in program history, an 11–all game against Miles, and Tim Kiggins became the first Knight to sign a professional contract. After his departure, Jonas remained involved in the program, including doing radio broadcasts of UCF football games and a radio sports talk show. Jonas led the Knights to a 14–12–1 (.518) record in three seasons.

Weir and Saban (1982–1984)

Following the departure of Jonas, Sam Weir, who was the head coach at Lake Howell High School, became UCF's new head coach and led the Knights in their move up to Division II in 1982. Another change to the university's athletic programs in 1982 was the departure of O'Leary as athletic director, and the hiring of Bill Peterson, who was the Florida State Seminoles head coach from 1960–70. In their first season playing Division II ball, the Knights went 0–10, and Weir decided not to return for the 1983 season. One bright spot of the season was that Mike Carter became the first Knight to sign with an NFL team, the Denver Broncos.

Lou Saban replaced Weir as the Knights head coach in 1983. Saban had previously coached at Miami, Army, Northwestern, and in the AFL and NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Boston Patriots, to name just a few. In UCF's first Black and Gold Spring game held in 1983, the defense won 14–6. The Knights finished the 1983 season 5–6, including the team's first win over a Division I–AA opponent. Starting the 1984 season filled with optimism, the Knights were shaken by a 1–6 start. Following the disappointing beginning to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry Anderson. Saban had a 6–12 (.333) record during his tenure as the Knights head coach. Anderson finished out the year with the team in an interim position, with a 1–3 (.250) record. UCF finished the season with a 2–9 mark.

In the course of the three seasons following Jonas' departure, the Knights went through three head coaches, and amassed a 7–25 record.

Gene McDowell era (1985–1997)

Reeling after a disappointing string of seasons, there were discussions within the community about the possibility of dismantling the program, and Peterson announced his retirement as the university's athletic director. In addition, due to financial troubles, the team had to postpone plans to move up to Division I-AA. Without a head coach or athletic director, President Colbourn hired Florida State assistant coach Gene McDowell to fill both positions. McDowell took the helm in 1985, and hired his eventual successor and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mike Kruczek as his offensive coordinator. The Knights would finish with a 4–7 mark in McDowell's first year, including a 21–42 loss to UCF's first-ever Division I–A opponent, Louisville. Due to financial hardships, McDowell waived half of his annual salary, and FSU head coach Bobby Bowden donated uniforms and cleats to the program.

McDowell would the lead the Knights to their first winning season since 1979, with a 6–5 record in 1986. Also that year, Ted Wilson became the first UCF player to be selected in the NFL draft, being picked by the Washington Redskins in the 10th round. Following an 8–3 regular season record in 1987, the Knights earned their first trip to the Division II playoffs, where they earned a 1–1 record. After starting the 1988 season with five straight wins, UCF would be ranked No. 2 in Division II. During a game against the defending D-II national champions Troy at the Citrus Bowl, UCF fans were so loud at one point that the Trojans quarterback Bob Godsey couldn't call plays. Godsey complained to the referee about the crowd noise, but instead of helping Troy, the referee called a delay of game penalty on the Trojans. The "noise penalty" is legendary at UCF, and the win over Troy thrust the Knights into the position as the No. 1 ranked team in D-II. Between 1986 and 1990 under the leadership of McDowell, the Knights held a 24–6 record at the Citrus Bowl.

During McDowell's tenure, the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1990. In their first year in the division, the Knights earned a 10–4 record, a program best, and a trip to the I–AA playoffs. UCF would make it to the semifinals, and became the first school in history to qualify for the I–AA playoffs in its first season of eligibility. The Knights would finish the 1991 and 1992 with winning seasons as well. In 1992, Dr. John Hitt, UCF's fourth president, announced that the program would make the move to Division I-A in 1996, and he hired Steve Sloan as the university's new athletic director. Earning their eighth winning season in 1993, the Knights would again make the playoffs. During the season, the team won their first game over a Division I–A team, a 38–16 victory at Louisiana Tech. After another impressive season, UCF was selected as the preseason No. 1 to start the 1994 season. The 1994 season would prove disappointing however, as the Knights would finish the season ranked No. 20 with a 7–4 record. During the team's final season in Division I-AA, the Knights were reinvigorated by freshman sensation Daunte Culpepper. The quarterback would lead the Knights to a 6–5 record, and their tenth straight winning season in 1995.

On September 1, 1996, UCF officially made its foray into Division I-A. At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions (III, II, I-AA and I-A). In their first two seasons in Division I-A, the Knights posted identical 5–6 records behind Culpepper. In 1997, assistant coach Alan Gooch was named the national assistant coach of the year, due to his work with deaf tailback Dwight Collins. In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use, McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998. Over his 13–year tenure at UCF, McDowell earned an 87–61 (.587) record.

Mike Kruczek era (1998–2003)

After the abrupt departure of McDowell, Mike Kruczek was named UCF's new head coach on an interim basis. He would receive the position permanently later in 1998. Daunte Culpepper led UCF to its best season ever with a 9-2 record in 1998 (with losses only coming to Purdue and Auburn). Culpepper finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting and set the NCAA record for completion percentage that year (73.4%). Following the season, Culpepper was drafted with the 11th pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, marking the highest ever draft pick of a UCF player.

The Knights proved to be a scary team on the road, with close losses including a 10-6 loss at Auburn in 1998, a 24-23 loss at Georgia in 1999, and a 21-17 loss at Georgia Tech in 2000. Kruczek's biggest victory would come in 2000 against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, when the Knights won 40–38 on a last-second field goal by Javier Beorlegui. After finishing 9–2 in 1998, UCF received a tentative verbal agreement to play in the inaugural Oahu Bowl. That arrangement, however, was contingent on UCLA finishing the season undefeated; the Oahu Bowl was otherwise committed to taking a team from the Pac-10. On the final day of the regular season, Miami upset UCLA, setting off a chain reaction that sent Washington to the Oahu Bowl and left the Knights out in the cold.

Kruczek guided the team as a Division I-A independent until 2001. After six difficult years as an independent, UCF played its much-anticipated first season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2002. They finished runner-up in the East division with a 6–2 record. They finished the season 7–5 overall, completing their 14th winning season in the past 17 years. The excitement however, would be short-lived. After signing a three-year contract extension to begin the 2003 season, Kruczek was fired following a 3–7 start. Kruczek was replaced on an interim basis by Assistant coach and former player Alan Gooch who finished out the dismal 3-9 season with losses to Mid-American Conference rivals Marshall and Miami (OH). The Marshall game marked UCF's first nationally televised home football game as it was aired on ESPN2. Kruczek ended his 6–year stewardship of UCF with a 36–30 (.545) record.

An increasing travel burden, inability to compete with much better MAC teams, and lack of natural rivals within the midwest-based MAC saw UCF begin to explore the possibility of a different conference affiliation after just a couple years in the conference. In 2003, UCF was invited as an all-sports member to Conference USA for the 2005 season.

George O'Leary era (2004–2015)

Following the disappointing 2003 season, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George O'Leary was named UCF's new head coach in 2004. This was a controversial hire on several fronts because O'Leary had previously been named head coach at Notre Dame, but was relieved of his duties five days into his tenure after inconsistencies were found on his resume. The difficult coaching transition for 2004, the Knights' final year in the Mid-American Conference, saw the team hit rock bottom, going 0–11.

In 2005, UCF started their first season as a member of Conference USA. Not expected to improve much over 2004, they surprisingly won their first conference game against Marshall, 23–13, ending the school's 17-game losing streak, then the nation's longest streak. UCF fans celebrated by storming the field and tearing down the goal posts. Students came back to the campus and celebrated further by jumping into UCF's Reflection Pond (a practice normally reserved for Spirit Splash). UCF then went on to win eight out of the remaining nine games on their schedule, finishing 7–1 in C-USA games, winning the East Division and hosting the first ever C-USA Championship game, which they lost, 44-27, to Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, UCF was invited to play in their first ever bowl game, the Hawaii Bowl, losing to Nevada 49–48 in overtime due to a missed PAT that would have tied the game. In 2005 O'Leary was chosen by SportsIllustrated.com for the coach of the year award and received votes for the larger Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award. In May 2006, UCF extended O'Leary's contract for 10 years and increased his pay to $1 million plus incentives per year after he engineered the fourth-best turnaround in college football history.

After an anemic 2006 which saw the Golden Knights go a mere 4–8, the team rebranded in 2007 in preparation for its move to its new on-campus venue, Bright House Networks Stadium. They dropped the "Golden" from their name, becoming the "UCF Knights". Fortunes seemed to have changed as the Knights moved into new facilities. After defeating a BCS school for just the second time ever, the NC State Wolfpack, they inaugurated their new stadium by hosting and losing to the No. 6 ranked Texas Longhorns 35-32. The Knights lost to regional rival South Florida 64–12 in Tampa, but went on to have a 5–1 regular season at home and won the C-USA East again, hosting the Championship game against Tulsa once more. UCF defeated Tulsa in a near-reversal of the 2005 Conference USA Championship Game 44-25, thereby gaining UCF's first ever Conference Championship title and a berth in the 2007 Liberty Bowl. Following UCF's victory, the Knights received 35 votes in the AP Poll, but did not reach the top 25, ranking 27th. The Knights lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee; 10-3 to Mississippi State. The Knights went on to finish the year with its first 10 win season in the FBS. In 2007, Kevin Smith rushed for 2,567 yards, placing him 2nd on the NCAA's all-time single season rushing list behind Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders. Despite this, he was not selected even as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He also was the only running back in the 2007 season to rush for more than 100 yards against the Texas Longhorns. He was a fan favorite, especially with student section at Brighthouse Networks Stadium. Smith originally stated that he would return for his senior season at UCF, however, he later changed his mind, announcing on January 6, 2008 that he would declare for the NFL Draft. He went with the first pick in the third round, to the Detroit Lions.

On March 18, 2008, running back Ereck Plancher collapsed shortly after a conditioning drill, and was then transported to a nearby hospital where he died approximately one hour later. ESPN's "Outside The Lines" program on November 2, 2008 interviewed players who were at the training session at which Plancher became ill, and which after he died, and stated that the session was longer and far more rigorous than O'Leary and other UCF Athletics officials have admitted to publicly. They also alleged that O'Leary and other coaches had initially warned players off from providing assistance to Plancher when he became visibly distressed. After a 14-day trial in 2011, a jury found the UCF Athletics Association guilty of negligence in the death of Plancher. The jury awarded each of his parents $5 million.

After a lackluster 4-8 season in 2008, UCF bounced back with an 8-4 record in 2009, including winning their last six straight C-USA games. Among those wins was their first victory over a nationally ranked team, beating then No. 12 Houston on November 14, 37–32 at Bright House Networks Stadium. UCF finished the 2009 season 8–5, with a 45–24 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the St. Petersburg Bowl, their third bowl appearance in five years. Entering the 2010 season, with the recruitment of Jeffrey Godfrey and return of key seniors, including Bruce Miller, there were high hopes for the Knights. After winning 5 straight games, and posting an 11-game conference winning streak, the Knights were ranked for the first time in school history following their nationally televised 40–33 victory over the Houston Cougars on the road. For the polls released on November 7, 2010, UCF was ranked in all three major college polls. The Knights were ranked 25 in the AP Poll, 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 25 in the Harris Poll. In their first game as a nationally ranked squad, the Knights fell 31-21 to Southern Miss in Orlando. UCF would bounce back and defeat Tulane 61–14 and Memphis 37–17. With the wins, the Knights secured the Eastern Division championship and reentered the polls.

The Knights would go on to win the 2010 Conference USA championship game, defeating SMU 17–7. Following the win, UCF entered the BCS Standings for the first time in program history, ranking No. 25. The Knights ended the 2010 season with a 10–6 victory over Georgia in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, marking the team's first-ever bowl victory. UCF would end the season ranked 20th in the final coaches poll and 21st in the final AP rankings.

2011 proved to be a disappointing season as UCF finished with a losing record, and were not bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. The season included out-of-conference losses to FIU and BYU, as well as conference losses to then-winless UAB, a 1–point loss to then-ranked No. 23 Southern Miss and the continuation of the Knights woes at quarterback, as Jeff Godfrey and Blake Bortles battled for playing time. Following the 2011 season, Jeff Godfrey planned on transferring, though be later decided to return to the Knights as a wide-receiver. Following an investigation into recruiting violations in the men's basketball and football programs in 2011, on July 31, 2012, the NCAA announced sanctions – in addition to penalties UCF had previously self-imposed. The NCAA imposed a one-year postseason football ban. The penalty is in addition to a $50,000 fine, adding two years to UCF's previously proposed three years' probation, reduction of football scholarships, and tighter limits of football recruiting visiting days. In 2012, the Knights won their fourth C-USA East Division championship, though they would fall 27–33 to Tulsa in the league title game. UCF would play in the 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl and come in motivated after the heartbreaking loss to Tulsa. The Knights would win 38-17 as Blake Bortles would be named MVP.

On April 19, 2013, UCF won their appeal with the NCAA and was eligible for postseason play in 2013. The appeal would prove crucial, as in 2013, O'Leary led the Knights to their first twelve-win season (12–1), first perfect conference record (8–0), first win against a Big Ten opponent (Penn State), first win against a Top–10 team (No. 6 Louisville), third conference title, and the programs first appearance and victory in a BCS bowl game, defeating No. 6 Baylor 52–42 in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. The game was one of the biggest upsets of the BCS era. On January 7, 2014, UCF was ranked No. 10 in the seasons final AP Poll, the highest ranking in school history. The 2015 season would be a disaster. Following UCF's 59–10 defeat by Houston on homecoming, dropping the Knights to an 0–8 record to start the 2015 season, O'Leary resigned as head football coach. UCF finished the 2015 season winless, its third such campaign in program history.

Scott Frost era (2016–present)

After the 2015 season, Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Scott Frost was named as UCF's tenth head coach on December 1, 2015. In 2016, Frost led the team to a 6-6 regular season record with wins over South Carolina State, FIU, East Carolina, Connecticut, Tulane, and Cincinnati, finishing the season with a loss to Arkansas State in the 2016 Cure Bowl.

Citrus Bowl (1979–2006)

Until 2007, the Knights had played all of their home games at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando. Located about 10 miles (16 km) from UCF's main campus, the stadium originally opened in 1936. Though UCF would not play its first football game at the Citrus Bowl until September 1979, a 7–6 victory over Fort Benning, the stadium's first college football game was played in January 1947 between Catawba and Maryville.

By 2005, Orlando-city officials in conjunction with UCF's administration, expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the aging facility. While UCF was the primary leasing tenant of the Citrus Bowl for nearly three decades, they received minimal revenue from football games, and the stadium's 70,000 seat capacity was seen as too large for the Knights. With an average attendance of 30,000–40,000 people per game, the stadium was left with the appearance of being largely empty. When the university approached the city about possible renovations and new revenue-sharing measures for the stadium, they were met with resistance. The city wanted UCF to consider relocating, or to spend considerable expense to upgrade the facility. At one point during the negotiations, stadium officials told then UCF Athletic Director Steve Orsini that "the value of UCF's fans was nothing."

Bright House Networks Stadium (2007–present)

In early 2005, as a response to the deteriorating condition of the Citrus Bowl, and lack of revenue derived from the games there, UCF proposed building an on-campus stadium for the first time. In December 2005, the UCF Board of Trustees approved the construction of a new on-campus stadium. The new stadium, Bright House Networks Stadium was originally planned to open in time for the 2006 football season, but neighborhood opposition delayed the time frame by a year.

Stadium construction began in 2006 and was finished in time for the 2007 season. The first home-game took place on September 15, 2007, as the Knights nearly upset the No. 6-ranked Texas Longhorns. The seating capacity of the stadium is 44,206, though plans for an expansion to 65,000 seats are in place. Although the Knights lost their first on-campus home game, they finished the remainder of the stadium's inaugural season undefeated, including the Conference USA home opener against Memphis. UCF hosted and won the 2007 and 2010 C-USA Championship Games, defeating Tulsa and SMU, respectively. Following the 2014 season, the stadium underwent an $8 million renovation. The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership was constructed on the east facade of the stadium, and a party deck known as the "Carl Black and Gold Cabana" was added to the east stands.

Rivalries

Though UCF remains a relatively young program that has shifted conferences several times, it has several long-standing rivalries with schools throughout the duration of Conference USA and The American. The university's biggest rival historically is their instate rival, the University of South Florida Bulls, played from 2005 to 2008, and since 2013. Other rivalries include the East Carolina University Pirates and the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane. UCF once had a major rivalry with the Marshall University Thundering Herd, but the rivalry with Marshall has become less important since the Knights joined The American because the schools no longer play each other regularly. UCF only holds a winning record in its rivalry with Marshall (.727).

One other rivalry, known as the Civil Conflict, unofficially exists between UCF and Connecticut. However, UCF does not acknowledge the rivalry, and has publicly dismissed it.

East Carolina

The rivalry began with the teams' first meeting in 1991, with annual meetings beginning in 2005 when the Knights entered C-USA. Playing in the same division East Carolina and UCF were permanent opponents under the conference's scheduling structure. In recent years, the match between UCF and East Carolina has determined the winner of the Eastern Division. In 2007, UCF's only conference loss came at the hands of the Pirates. UCF won the division anyway, and ultimately took the conference title. In 2008, UCF was looking like they were going to ruin East Carolina's dreams of the Eastern Division title like they did to Marshall, but with a late rally, the Pirates won in overtime making the Pirates the first C-USA team to beat UCF in Bright House Networks Stadium. A loss at East Carolina also determined them as the Eastern Division champions in 2009, while a UCF win at home was the difference in 2010. In the final scheduled meeting of the two schools in 2012, it would be UCF that would win 40–20, despite falling behind 14–0 early on. As of now, the final count in the series in 9–4 in favor of East Carolina. The rivalry resumed when the Pirates joined UCF in the American Athletic Conference in 2014. UCF won as time expired on a 51-yard Hail Mary pass from Justin Holman to Breshad Perriman, 32–30. This allowed for them to win back to back conference championships.

South Florida

The War on I–4 dates years before the two schools ever played a game against each other. The matchup was the subject of much discussion and fan enthusiasm since the 1990s, though the first game was not played until 2005. The rivalry, often known as the "War on I–4" or "I–4 Corridor Clash", continued as a four home-and-away series through the 2008 season. The Bulls won each of the four games, which all drew strong crowds, but South Florida declined to continue the series after 2008. The UCF–South Florida game resumed as a regular conference game beginning with the 2013 season, as UCF joined the American Athletic Conference. The Knights won the first game as conference members 23–20 before 45,952 in Orlando. In 2014, the Knights won for the first time at Raymond James Stadium, and delivered the first home shut-out in South Florida history, 16-0. In 2015, USF defeated the Knights 44-3 to finish a winless season for the Knights. In 2016 No. 23/24 South Florida Bulls took home the War on I-4 trophy by defeating C. Florida 48-31 and clinching their first 10-win season in school history while UCF would not finish above 500

Tulsa

The games between the Knights and Tulsa Golden Hurricane occurred on a two-year scheduling cycle when both schools were members of C-USA, except for three times that the teams met in the Conference USA title game (2005, 2007, 2012). Tulsa leads the series 5–3, with the Golden Hurricane winning three times in the regular season and twice in the conference championship game. In both 2007 and 2012, the Golden Hurricane and Knights played each other twice, once in the regular season and once in the conference championship. The rivalry resumed in 2014 when the Golden Hurricane joined The American, with UCF winning the game 31–7.

Conference championships

George O'Leary is the only coach in program history to lead the Knights to the postseason since joining the FBS in 1996. Under O'Leary's leadership, the Knights won four C-USA Eastern Division Championships (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012), and two Conference USA Championships (2007, 2010). O'Leary also led the Knights to The American conference championship in their first year in the league (2013), earning the conference's automatic berth to a BCS bowl game. In 2014, the Knights clinched back-to-back conference championships.

Note:^† denotes co–championship.

Divisional championships

UCF made four appearances in the Conference USA Championship Game, more than any other C-USA school, with the last being in 2012. Three of the four appearances were against Tulsa of the Western Division. The Knights won two of the four C-USA Championship Games in which they appeared.

Note:^† denotes co–championship.

Bowl games

UCF has played in seven bowl games in its history – including one BCS Bowl – and has a 3–4 record in those games. UCF has been bowl eligible for seven of the past ten seasons, after receiving its first bowl invitation in 2005. The Knights nearly earned a bowl berth in 1998, when Daunte Culpepper led the team to a 9–2 record.

Division I–AA Playoffs

The Knights appeared in the Division I–AA playoffs twice with a record of 2–2.

Division II Playoffs

The Knights appeared in the Division II playoffs once with a record of 1–1.

All-time record vs. conference teams

Since joining a conference for the first time in 2002, the Knights are 66–46 (.589) in league play. UCF is 15–9 (.625) in conference games since joining The American in 2013.

All-Americans

Every year, several publications release lists of their ideal "team". The athletes on these lists are referred to as All-Americans. The NCAA recognizes five All-American lists. They are the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF). UCF has had numerous players honored as first team All-Americans. To date, Kevin Smith is the only Consensus All-American.

Daunte Culpepper – Quarterback, 1997 (NFL Draft Report)

Kevin Smith – Running back, 2007 (AP, FWAA, WCFF, SN, SI, ESPN, CBS Sports, College Football News, Scout.com)

Joe Burnett – Kickoff returner, 2008 (ESPN, SI)

Quincy McDuffie – Kickoff returner, 2012 (SI)

Jacoby Glenn – Cornerback, 2014 (AP)

Conference honors

Coach of the Year

2013: George O'Leary 2010: George O'Leary 2007: George O'Leary 2005: George O'Leary

Offensive Player of the Year

2013: Blake Bortles 2007: Kevin Smith

Defensive Player of the Year

2014: Jacoby Glenn 2012: Kemal Ishmael 2010: Bruce Miller 2009: Bruce Miller

Special Teams Player of the Year

2012: Quincy McDuffie 2008: Joe Burnett

Freshman of the Year

2010: Jeff Godfrey 2005: Kevin Smith

Heisman Trophy

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and running back Kevin Smith are the only Knights finish in the Top–10 of voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Honored numbers

UCF retires a student-athlete's jersey but does not retire the respective jersey numbers. The Knights coaching staff can choose to reissue a given number, as the retirement of the jersey does not require that the number not be worn again.

1 Wayne Densch

8 Daunte Culpepper – Quarterback, 1995–1998

19 Joe Burnett – Cornerback, 2005–2008

24 Kevin Smith – Running back, 2005–2007

Knights in the Pro Bowl

Daunte Culpepper – Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings: 2001, 2004, 2005

Asante Samuel – Cornerback, New England Patriots/Philadelphia Eagles: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Brandon Marshall – Wide receiver, Denver Broncos/Miami Dolphins/Chicago Bears/New York Jets: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015

Josh Sitton – Offensive guard, Chicago Bears: 2012, 2016

Matt Prater – Kicker, Denver Broncos: 2013, 2016

Knights in the Super Bowl

Atari Bigby – Safety, Green Bay Packers – XLV

Michael Greco – Safety, Green Bay Packers – XLV

Cornell Green – Offensive tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – XXXVII

Mike Gruttadauria – Center, St. Louis Rams – XXXIV

Shawn Jefferson – Wide receiver, San Diego Chargers – XXIX & New England Patriots – XXXI

Darcy Johnson – Tight end, New York Giants – XLII

Charles Lee – Wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – XXXVII

Asante Samuel – Cornerback, New England Patriots – XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII

Josh Sitton – Offensive guard, Green Bay Packers – XLV

Bruce Miller – Fullback, San Francisco 49ers – Super Bowl XLVII

Jah Reid – Offensive tackle, Baltimore Ravens – Super Bowl XLVII

Matt Prater – Kicker, Denver Broncos – Super Bowl XLVIII

Schedule

UCF is one of 11 full members of the American Athletic Conference, and play in its Eastern division. Division rivals include the Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida, and Temple. The Western division consists of Houston, Memphis, Navy, SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. UCF plays an eight-game conference schedule, four home and four away. These games operate on a two-year cycle, as a home-and-home series.

The Knights currently have games scheduled through 2023. Among the games scheduled are finishing a home-and-away series with Stanford (at home). They also have an away game against Texas (2023). Of note is that the game against the Longhorns will be the final game of a three-game contract between UCF and Texas. The contract was organized as such: for the first game, the Knights would host the Longhorns to open up their new stadium, Bright House Networks Stadium; the remaining games (one was played in 2009) would be played at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, the home stadium of the Longhorns, as a "repayment" for opening UCF's new stadium. The Knights are near the end of a 6-game series with FIU from 2011–2016, which started with a 2011 away game at FIU Stadium in Miami. Because the 2014 game was canceled, the remaining FIU games were delayed a year, now ending the series in 2017. One of the recently announced home-and-away series is a future home-and-away series with in-state opponent FAU in 2018 and 2019, the first one being in Bright House Networks Stadium on September 22, 2018 and the second one being in FAU Stadium on September 7, 2019. UCF also announced a home-and-away series with Georgia Tech with the first game in Bright House Networks Stadium on September 16, 2017 and the second being an away game on September 19, 2020, as well as a home and away series with the Pittsburgh, with the Knights hosting on September 29, 2018 and visiting Pittsburgh on September 21, 2019.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of January 19, 2017