UCF Knights at Big 12 football media days: 5 burning questions, interview schedule, players attending

The Big 12 takes the stage first among the Power Four's football conferences — beneath the bright lights of Las Vegas, no less — ahead of the largest and, perhaps, most unpredictable season in recent memory.

The league's head coaches, dozens of players and its commissioner Brett Yormark will speak during Media Days beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium. UCF coach Gus Malzahn takes the podium Wednesday afternoon, with five Knights players on site for post-press conference interviews.

Texas and Oklahoma officially departed the Big 12 for the SEC on July 1, but Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah arrive from the Pac-12 to round out the roster to 16. Five of those teams received first-place votes in the league's preseason media poll last week, with Utah edging incumbents Kansas State and Oklahoma State for the top spot.

Newest Knights commit:ESPN 300 prospect, Mainland defensive tackle Christian Hudson picks UCF

UCF, meanwhile, is projected to land squarely in the middle of the pack. The Knights went 3-6 in Big 12 play last year, and 6-7 overall — the first time in Malzahn's career in which his team posted a losing record.

Ahead of the fesitivities, here are five questions facing UCF entering the upcoming season.

Can the UCF Knights start Big 12 play how they finished last season?

All four of the Big 12's newcomers endured a turbulent debut league campaign; UCF, thanks to a Thanksgiving weekend win over Houston, was the lone to achieve bowl eligibility.

The Knights rebounded from five consecutive Big 12 defeats — most notably surrendering a 28-point lead at home to Baylor, and failing a go-ahead two-point conversion in an upset bid at Oklahoma — to close with three wins in their last four. They showed what they might be capable of in a 45-3 blowout victory over 15th-ranked Oklahoma State, capitalizing on four turnovers and bulldozing the Cowboys behind RJ Harvey's career-high 206 rushing yards.

The Sept. 14 Big 12 opener at TCU could be a tone-setter for the season, followed two weeks later with a massive home date against Colorado and an anticipated non-conference trip to Florida.

Will UCF lead the country in rushing?

Typically, the nation's top slot in the rushing stat department is reserved for the service academies and their triple-option attacks. But, UCF finished fourth last season at 228.2 yards per game, and features one of the deepest groups of ball-carriers in the country.

Both Harvey and spring transfer addition Peny Boone surpassed 1,400 yards on the ground in 2023, Johnny Richardson sports a career average of 6.8 yards per carry and quarterback KJ Jefferson rumbled for more than 1,700 yards in three years as Arkansas' starter. Heck, even slot receiver Xavier Townsend — a converted high school running back — gained 163 yards on just 15 carries.

Pounding the rock is a hallmark of the new-look Big 12; five of the country's top 11 rushing offenses reside in the league, as do six of the top 19 individual rushers in college football. In this regard, UCF fits right in with its new rivals.

But, more importantly, can UCF stop the run?

Though UCF excelled at running the football, it struggled mightily to defend against it save for its outlier shutdown of Doak Walker winner Ollie Gordon — a primary reason Gus Malzahn changed defensive coordinators and brought in trusted pal Ted Roof upon his exit from Oklahoma.

Only eight FBS teams surrendered more rushing yards per game than UCF last season (194.3). Opposing rushers averaged 4.9 yards per carry, and the Knights allowed 26 rushing touchdowns.

UCF revamped its group of linebackers following the graduation of starters Jason Johnson and Walter Yates. Deshawn Pace (Cincinnati), Ethan Barr (Vanderbilt), Xe'Ree Alexander (Idaho) and Jesiah Pierre (Texas Tech) all enrolled in January via the transfer portal. Additionally, the Knights return a full complement of defensive tackles, headlined by All-Big 12 honorable mention Lee Hunter, four-year starter Ricky Barber and Freshman All-American John Walker.

Will KJ Jefferson bounce back?

Jefferson shined in 2021 and '22 for Arkansas, leading the Razorbacks to 16 wins including triumphs in the Outback Bowl and the Liberty Bowl. But the offensive line crumbled around him last year, and both his individual numbers and Arkansas' win-loss record suffered as a result.

At his best, Jefferson is an accurate passer (67.3% in 2021, 68% in '22) who protects the ball (nine interceptions combined those two seasons) and lowers his shoulder to move the chains and add an extra dimension in the run game. The 6-foot-3, 247-pounder has also proven durable, missing just two games over the last three seasons due to injury.

Several question marks loom about the Knights' offensive line, which will have to replace sixth-round draft pick Tylan Grable and vocal leader Lokahi Pauole. UCF used four centers last season, and Marcellus Marshall made starts at three positions, speaking volumes about the unit's consistency.

But if given time to operate, Jefferson should fit seamlessly into Malzahn's offensive philosophy and potentially spark UCF to bigger things this fall.

Will UCF form new Big 12 rivalries?

Coachspeak, clichés and eternal optimism will be found in abundance during media availability for all 16 teams this week, but will there be any seeds planted that might eventually flourish into a legitimate rivalry for UCF in this new-look league?

Of course, Cincinnati and UCF have plenty of prior history — and the Knights plundering three Bearcats out of the portal should only further stoke those flames. But this year's schedule features a handful of fresh opponents, including all four Pac-12 defectors.

Deion Sanders, a Fort Myers native and Florida State icon, could say just about anything with the cameras rolling to build toward Colorado's trip to Orlando on Sept. 28.

Neal Brown took exception with West Virginia's dead-last placement in last year's preseason media poll; rightfully so as it turned out when the Mountaineers won nine games and he received a celebratory mayonnaise bath. UCF is 0-3 all-time ahead of a November journey to Morgantown.

Oklahoma State no longer faces the Sooners every year, and will have to wait a while to avenge last year's Space Game shellacking, but it will definitely have an eventual bone to pick with UCF.

Big 12 football press conference schedule

Tuesday

• 1 p.m. — Brett Yormark, Big 12 Conference commissioner
• 2 — Sonny Dykes, TCU coach
• 2:20 — Chris Klieman, Kansas State coach
• 2:40 — Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati coach
• 3 — Joey McGuire, Texas Tech coach
• 3:20 — Kyle Whittingham, Utah coach
• 3:40 — Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State coach
• 4 — Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State coach
• 4:20 — Matt Campbell, Iowa State coach

Wednesday

• 2 — Deion Sanders, Colorado coach
• 2:20 — Lance Leipold, Kansas coach
• 2:40 — Neal Brown, West Virginia coach
• 3 — Kalani Sitake, BYU coach
• 3:20 — Gus Malzahn, UCF coach
• 3:40 — Dave Aranda, Baylor coach
• 4 — Willie Fritz, Houston coach
• 4:20 — Brent Brennan, Arizona coach

UCF players attending Big 12 media day

• RJ Harvey: Choosing to return for his final year of eligibility the night before the Gasparilla Bowl, Orlando native Harvey finished last season as the sixth-leading rusher in the Football Bowl Subdivision (1,416 yards). Harvey was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back in the college football.
• Kobe Hudson: Only three receivers posted more yards than Hudson during the 2023 season, one of whom being teammate and New England Patriots fourth-round pick Javon Baker. Hudson caught 44 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns, highlighted by three straight 100-yard performances in September.
• Lee Hunter: The redshirt junior blossomed into one of the nation's most disruptive defensive tackles, registering 69 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. Hunter, who started all 13 games, was UCF's highest-graded run defender according to Pro Football Focus (78.7).
• KJ Jefferson: Named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Year in the preseason media poll, Jefferson committed to UCF on Jan. 1 and became the team's marquee addition out of the transfer portal. Jefferson started 36 times for Arkansas, totaling 7,911 passing yards, 1,876 rushing yards and 88 touchdowns.
• Deshawn Pace: One of the Knights' three pickups from rival Cincinnati, Pace led the Bearcats with 80 tackles in a hybrid linebacker/safety role. In 46 career games, Pace has registered 247 tackles, 25½ TFLs, three sacks, six interceptions, 14 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.

Big 12 Media Football Preseason Poll

1. Utah (20 first-place votes), 906 points
2. Kansas State (19), 889
3. Oklahoma State (14), 829
4. Kansas (5), 772
5. Arizona (3), 762
6. Iowa State, 661
7. West Virginia, 581
8. UCF, 551
9. Texas Tech, 532
10. TCU, 436
11. Colorado, 400
12. Baylor, 268
13. BYU, 215
14. Cincinnati, 196
15. Houston, 157
16. Arizona State, 141

Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team

• Offensive Player of the Year: Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
• Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Hunter, Colorado
• Newcomer of the Year: KJ Jefferson, UCF

OFFENSE

• QB: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
• RB: Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
• RB: Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
• FB: Stevo Klotz, Iowa State
• WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
• WR: Kobe Hudson, UCF
• WR: Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
• WR: Brennan Pressley, Oklahoma State
• TE: Brant Kuithe, Utah
• OL: Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
• OL: Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
• OL: Dalton Cooper, Oklahoma State
• OL: Joe Michalski, Oklahoma State
• OL: Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
• K: Tyler Loop, Arizona
• KR/PR: Drae McCray, Texas Tech

DEFENSE

• DL: Tyler Batty, BYU
• DL: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
• DL: B.J. Green II, Colorado
• DL: Lee Hunter, UCF
• DL: Junior Tafuna, Utah
• LB: Jacob Manu, Arizona
• LB: Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
• LB: Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
• DB: Tacario Davis, Arizona
• DB: Travis Hunter, Colorado
• DB: Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State
• DB: Cobee Bryant, Kansas
• DB: Mello Dotson, Kansas
• P: Jack Bouwmeester, Utah