March 21, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF football team went through the first of 15 spring practices on Wednesday at the fields next to the Wayne Densch Sports Complex. The team spent just over two hours working out in helmets and shorts as a majority of the opening practice was spent on individual drills, with some team work put in towards the end of the session.
"From a practice standpoint, I thought it was a good opening day," UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "We got a lot done and I could tell there was a lot of retention from from the older guys based on what we did last year. A couple of the young wide receivers and defensive backs also caught my eye. All in all, I thought things went well out there."
UCF returns 41 lettermen from the 2006 season and 19 of those players are returning starters. The defense features nine of those returnees and the offense has eight, while two specialists also return for the 2007 season.
Four UCF assistant coaches - defensive coordinator John Skladany, secondary coach Earnest Collins, defensive line coach Jim Panagos and wide receivers coach David Kelly - got their first opportunities to work with the players on the field as well during the opening practice.
The Knights will practice again in helmets and shorts on Thursday at 9:20 a.m. The first full pad session is schedule for Friday, which is also slated for a 9:20 a.m. start time. All of UCF's spring practices are open to the public.
The spring practices are being held in the shadows of Bright House Networks Stadiums where constuction is on-going. The Knights will open the 45,000-seat venue on Sept. 15 against Texas.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports.