UCF’s defense is starting to look like a unit that knows exactly who it wants to be.
That’s the sense coming from defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who said the Knights are already meeting the kind of effort standard he wants and that the players who were in the program last season helped set that tone. With the work ethic where he wants it, Grinch said he and his staff no longer have to "bark" at players about playing harder, which lets them focus more sharply on specific position groups and areas of need.
That matters for a defense trying to clean up the middle. UCF had consistency in the secondary and at linebacker last season, but the interior of the defense was uneven, and that showed up in the run defense. Now, with returning pieces like Horace Lockett and more time for Grinch to zero in on those problem spots, the Knights are aiming for a more balanced defensive attack.
The linebacker room got an even bigger boost with the pending return of Cole Kozlowski, whose appearance at practice earlier this week signaled a possible return to the field. He was first seen in street clothes before moving to a different-colored jersey, then on Monday he was back in the Knights’ normal white practice uniforms.
That’s a major development for UCF, which now appears to have a returning duo in the middle with Kozlowski and Lewis Carter.
Kozlowski arrived at UCF after proving himself as one of the most dominant defensive forces among mid-major programs, and he made an immediate impression in Orlando as a steady, vocal leader. The senior linebacker posted three double-digit tackle games, including outings against Baylor and BYU, plus an 11-tackle, one-sack game against the Mountaineers.
For the season, Kozlowski finished with 82 total tackles, along with two sacks and three pass deflections, and he earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors.
All of this comes as Scott Frost enters his second year back with the program, with players and staff around UCF talking openly about the chance to make some noise in an open Big 12 Conference. On defense, the Knights already have some proven pieces in place - and now, with the effort level established and the linebackers looking stronger, Grinch has more room to shape the unit into something tougher inside.
In Other News...
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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 🡒]
UCFs Big 12 Path Looks Tougher With One Contender Setting The Pace
Texas Tech enters the Big 12 race looking like the team to beat again, and that matters for UCF because the path through the league already appears crowded at the top. The Red Raiders are favored to repeat as conference champions at -105, a reflection of a roster that returns 65% of its production and should again bring the league's best defense into the fall.
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 🡒]