UCF’s defense looks a lot more settled heading into 2026, and that’s exactly how the Knights want it.
Braeden Marshall, the senior nickelback from Lake Mary, is one of the voices helping set that tone. He doesn’t hide the edge he brings with him.
“I can be,” the UCF senior nickelback said of being a trash talker. “It depends on my mood. It kind of fuels me.”
Marshall is part of a secondary that brings back four starters: cornerback Jayden Bellamy, Antione Jackson and safety Demari Henderson. That group sits at the center of a defense that has become one of UCF’s real strengths, and it’s carrying plenty of experience into Year 2 under coach Scott Frost and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
UCF also returns linebacker Lewis Carter and defensive tackle R.J. Jackson, adding more continuity up front and in the middle. Grinch said that veteran base has changed the feel of the unit.
“We do feel good about that group,” Grinch said of his defense. “I don’t think we’re spending a lot of time barking about effort.”
That kind of confidence comes from the way the roster was built. UCF brought back 22 defensive players who had already spent multiple seasons in the program, then added 30 newcomers through the transfer portal and high school ranks. A lot of those additions arrived with real game experience already in their bags, including 14 transfer upperclassmen.
That’s a major shift from last season, when the Knights returned only three starters: defensive ends Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly and Henderson.
The plan was deliberate. UCF wanted more maturity, more depth and more players who had already been through the grind. The Knights believe that matters in a Big 12 race that doesn’t give anyone much breathing room.
“This team, it’s just a group of more mature guys. Some of us got one year left, so everybody’s trying to buy in and just win. We want to win,” said Henderson.
Carter said the same thing in different words, pointing to the way the group has come together.
“(There’s a) little bit more buy-in, a lot more maturity, a lot of guys that are experienced, played a good amount of ball and who are willing to work.”
That experience has also changed how practice runs. A year ago, the coaching staff spent a lot of time teaching the basics of how to practice. Now, Grinch says the learning curve looks different.
“The guys have an understanding as to what we expect and that probably speaks to some of the guys that were with us a year ago. A lot of credit to the guys we brought in for immediately buying into it,” Grinch said. “That means you get a chance to actually coach a position and coach a technique or a fundamental.”
The leadership isn’t coming from just one place, either. Safety Ty Bartrum arrived from Harvard as a redshirt senior and two-year captain, and his presence has added another steady voice to the room.
“We have a lot of leaders on this team, a lot of different types of leaders, guys that’ll say the things we need to do and do the things we need to do,” said Bartrum. “Where it doesn’t have to come from the coaches every single day.”
Cornerback Jailen Duffie, a redshirt junior who spent several seasons at North Dakota State and helped the Bisons win the 2024 Football Championship Subdivision National Championship, said the secondary’s depth has created a room where everybody can lean on each other.
“We have a very experienced room. Everybody in that room can do very good things. We all learn from each other, give each other feedback and coach up the younger guys,” Duffie said of the secondary.
That chemistry has extended beyond football, too. Defensive edge rusher Ken Talley, who transferred in from Arkansas, said the group is building something away from the field as well.
“We’re building that bond off the field, so we can be able to go crazy on the field,” said defensive edge rusher Ken Talley.
UCF is coming off a solid defensive season, finishing third in the Big 12 in passing defense and fourth in total defense. Grinch likes the way the unit is moving now, especially as the pace ramps up.
“We’re at least swinging at the right pitches and have handled the change in speed from walk-through tempo to full speed pretty well,” said Grinch.
In Other News...
UCF's New Backfield Could Decide How Far Scott Frost's Offense Goes
A new look in the backfield could end up telling the story of how far Scott Frosts offense can go at UCF. The Knights went into the transfer portal to patch a rushing attack that lost production from its previous running backs, bringing in Duke Watson from Louisville and Landen Chambers to compete with Taevion Swint for the starting job.
Watson has leaned into the battle, saying he welcomes the competition and sees a fit in Frosts wide zone scheme because of his versatile running style. With multiple options now in the mix, UCFs challenge is less about finding bodies and more about finding the right combination to lift a ground game that needs to take a step forward. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Defense Has A Reason For Real Hope This Season
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UCFs Big 12 Path Looks Tougher With One Contender Setting The Pace
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Houston is part of the reason the middle of the Big 12 could be so unforgiving for everyone else. The Cougars bring back the conference's second-highest share of production and have shown real growth recently, giving the league another team with the pieces to push for the title chase while Texas Tech remains the standard. [Read more 🡒]