Josh Derry may not be sitting atop UCF’s receiver stats, but he’s still making his presence felt in the way the Knights need most.
The senior wideout has 119 yards to lead the group, while Waden Charles owns the team lead with two touchdowns. Derry and Charles each have 10 catches, and Ric’Darious “Day Day” Farmer is close behind with eight. Under Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper, UCF’s passing game has spread the ball around, with the quarterbacks sharing targets from week to week.
That setup has left Derry in a role that doesn’t always show up in the box score. He’s willing to block on the perimeter, help create room for the running game, and do the dirty work that keeps drives alive. On Monday, Derry made clear that’s part of the job he embraces.
"Getting the ball or just blocking on the perimeter and just whatever, do whatever I can to get in the end zone," Derry said during Monday's media availability.
"Most people don't want to see a receiver blocking, but you've got to understand that basically all the big runs that happen usually happen from receivers blocking downfield in the perimeter," Derry said during Monday's media availability.
That kind of effort matters in a UCF offense built around the run. Duke Watson has already ripped off two 60-plus-yard runs this season, doing it against Bethune-Cookman in Week 1 and Georgia State in Week 3. Derry has been part of the support system that helps make those plays possible.
It’s a different kind of spotlight than the one many expected when he arrived from Monmouth. As a junior last season, Derry torched FCS defenses for 73 catches, 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns, and analysts came into the year expecting a breakout. Pro Football Focus even rated him the Big 12’s best returning wide receiver, giving him an 89.9 grade, just ahead of Texas Tech’s Jalen Jones at 89.6 and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young at 89.
So far, Young has been the most productive of that trio, with 410 yards and three touchdowns, boosted by new Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Derry and Young are set to face off next Saturday.
For UCF, the timing matters. The Knights are heading into a brutal stretch with three ranked opponents in the next three weeks, and they’ll be trying to pull off an upset along the way. They’ve won three times already this season, and Derry’s message has been simple: handle the week, do the work, and go 1-0.
He still has plenty of room to make his case as UCF’s top receiver in Big 12 play. And when he does it, it may look a lot like everything he’s already been doing: stretch the field, open space for others, and keep stacking the little things that help the Knights win.
Derry is also giving UCF something it has not had since Javon Baker in 2023 - its first proven 1,000-yard receiver. With his speed and ability to turn a routine route into a big gain, he remains a deep threat defenses have to respect. The nickname “Scary Derry” fits for a reason.
The numbers may not tell the whole story yet, but UCF’s senior transfer is showing exactly how valuable a receiver can be without dominating the stat sheet.
In Other News...
UCF Faces A Bigger Test Than TCU In First Big 12 Road Game
UCFs Big 12 start could not have gone much better, with the Knights handling TCU in their league opener and now turning the page to a far tougher assignment. The next stop is a road trip to face No. 20 Houston, a noon ET kickoff on ESPN2 that will give Scott Frosts team its first conference game away from home and a quick read on how it travels in a league that can punish every misstep.
Houston coach Willie Fritz has already taken notice of what UCF brings to the table, while Frost knows the Cougars present a different kind of challenge than the one the Knights just passed. The matchup pairs a UCF team looking to prove its opening win was a start, not a peak, against a Houston group that has become harder to run on and more dangerous because of the way it disguises things on defense. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Hoops Gets An Early Test After Last Seasons Breakthrough
UCFs breakthrough season earned the program a louder stage, and the next step in the climb is already taking shape. The Knights now know part of their non-conference path for 2026, with the ESPN Events Invitational set as an early measuring stick after last seasons NCAA Tournament appearance and the momentum that came with it. The broader 2026-27 slate is also in place, with nine home and nine road Big 12 games mixed in with several non-conference dates, giving Johnny Dawkins another chance to see how far the program has come.
The timing matters, too, because UCF is trying to build on more than just one good run. Dawkins already has stability on the sideline after receiving an extension through the 2028-29 season, and that kind of continuity is part of why the Knights can treat these early-season tests as more than simple tune-ups. The invitational will provide another read on where UCF stands against outside competition, but the real question is how quickly the Knights can turn last years success into something more durable once the Big 12 grind starts. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs Big 12 Road Suddenly Looks Tougher Than Fans Expected
UCFs Big 12 path keeps picking up more weight, and the latest results around the league only add to the sense that the Knights early conference stretch will demand a lot. Houston closed out its non-conference slate with a 42-28 win over Georgia Southern and moved from No. 25 to No. 20 in the AP poll, a reminder that the Cougars are carrying real momentum into league play. Oklahoma State also kept climbing after beating West Virginia 41-24, with quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins helping the Cowboys secure a Top 25 spot.
For UCF, that matters because the schedule is starting to look less forgiving by the week. The Knights already saw Georgia State bounce back from its loss in Orlando by beating Northern Illinois 35-14, and the teams waiting on the other side of the conference line are bringing more national respect with them. One of the biggest tests arrives when the Cowboys come to town, and they are headed to Orlando with a ranking that only makes that date look more daunting. [Read more 🡒]