Athlon Sports put seven UCF players on its preseason All-Big 12 teams for 2026, splitting the Knights between three defenders and four offensive pieces in Monday’s release.
Lewis Carter landed on the second team at linebacker after finishing 2025 with a team-high 92 tackles. He closed the year with at least 10 tackles in each of the final four games and finished with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition.
Jayden Bellamy also checked in on the second team, this time at cornerback. He won a starting job quickly last season and matched Carter with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
Bellamy led UCF with eight pass breakups and picked off his first pass as a Knight. Before arriving in Orlando, the rising junior had three interceptions across two seasons at Syracuse.
On offense, Duke Watson was named to the fourth team at running back as he prepares for his first season with UCF after two years at Louisville. Watson made noise as a freshman in 2024, when he led FBS with 8.9 yards per carry. His 2025 season was limited to seven games because of an ankle injury, and he finished with 158 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Duane Thomas Jr. also earned fourth-team status at wide receiver after leading UCF with 53 catches for 528 yards last season. That production brought him All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, and his connection with starting quarterback Alonza Barnet III looks like one of the key storylines heading into the new campaign.
Dylan Wade joined him on the fourth team at tight end after a breakout 2025. Wade totaled 43 receptions for 523 yards and five touchdowns, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition. His numbers stand out even more when stacked against UCF’s history at the position: he posted the most catches, yards and touchdowns by a Knight tight end in a season since the program joined the FBS.
Preston Cushman rounded out the offensive line selections on the fourth team. With longtime Knight Paul Rubelt gone, Cushman is stepping into a major leadership role for both the line and the offense overall in 2026. He logged the most snaps on the team last season at 753, and the expectation is that the redshirt senior will open at starting right tackle.
The final UCF selection was Demari Henderson, who made the fourth team at defensive back. Entering his fifth season with the program, the Sanford, Florida native recorded 61 tackles in 2025 from his safety spot. He also added a sack, three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and an interception.
In Other News...
UCF's Pass Rush Future Now Rests With One Rising Assistant
Mike Dawsons rise in UCFs defensive staff has become one of the more encouraging subplots around the programs pass rush. The Knights defensive run game coordinator was recently tabbed as the third-best EDGE coach in the Big 12 by Matrix Analytical, a nod that carries extra weight after he helped develop two former UCF EDGE players into NFL talent. Malachi Lawrence is now with the Dallas Cowboys, while Nyjalik Kelly landed with the Green Bay Packers, giving Dawson a track record the Knights can point to as they reshape that part of the defense.
Now the bigger question is how smoothly that next wave comes together in 2026. UCF has to replace both of those departures while building around returning pieces and a batch of transfers, all under Dawsons guidance. The good news for the Knights is that the room already has some continuity, and the newcomers are trying to fit into a system that has already produced pro-caliber results. What that rotation ultimately looks like when the season arrives will say plenty about how far Dawsons influence can stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Former UCF Defender Opens Up About A Knights Career That Changed Fast
Randy Charltons football path has been anything but straight, and the former UCF defensive end is still trying to turn an abrupt college arc into a lasting pro career. After transferring to Mississippi State and earning a starting role there, he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft before landing with the Miami Dolphins practice squad and then spending time with the Edmonton Elks and Orlando Pirates.
Charltons latest stop is with the Birmingham Stallions, another chance to put good tape together and keep pushing toward an NFL return. For a player whose career has already crossed leagues and countries, the challenge now is less about proving he can play than about finally finding the kind of stability that has eluded him since his college days changed so quickly. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Transfer Could Change Everything In One Crucial Line Battle
Brady Wayburn looks like one of the more important additions on UCFs 2026 roster, and it is easy to see why the Knights are giving the former UConn lineman a real look at right guard. He started six games there last season after appearing in a larger role for the Huskies, and that kind of live-game experience is exactly what UCF is buying into as it tries to firm up the interior of its offensive line.
Offensive line coach AJ Blazek has been upbeat about Wayburns strength and run-blocking fit, especially in a system that leans on wide zone concepts. Wayburn is in the mix to claim the job, though the final alignment may not be settled yet, and how UCF sorts out that right side could determine whether his transfer turns into a quiet depth move or one of the more consequential camp battles on the roster. [Read more 🡒]