Aug. 7, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After opening preseason camp on Thursday afternoon, the UCF football had a busy day Friday, beginning with a morning practice and culminating in the annual media day at Bright House Networks Stadium and Nicholson Fieldhouse. The turnout was impressive as over 40 media members from across the state of Florida were welcomed to the UCF campus.
The media members were treated to a preview of the upcoming 2009 season, beginning with a 30-minute press conference with sixth-year head coach George O'Leary in the Steve and Brenda Sloan Media Room.
After the press conference, the representatives from television stations, radio outlets, newspapers and websites made the walk to the Knights' indoor practice facility, Nicholson Fieldhouse, to meet with the UCF players. The large crowd included representatives from the Miami Herald, Lakeland Ledger and Daytona Beach News-Journal in addition to the local Orlando media.
At his press conference, O'Leary talked about the number of players coming back and the experience he has seen through the first two practices.
"I think when you look at offense, you only lose one guy that really played from last year's team," O'Leary said. "[Graduated senior] Pat Brown had a lot of experience, but it is very noticeable with the addition of the offensive linemen out there that there is more girth up front. I think with the skill kids that are back that one year of maturity, especially with the quarterback, running backs, is really noticeable.
On the defensive side, O'Leary talked to the media about the numerous players that are back up front, and also spoke about the secondary replacing the loss of four talented seniors, including All-American Joe Burnett.
"Defensively, really the fourteen guys are back up front," O'Leary said. "The one guy that is not back has been replaced by Darius Nall, who was a starter and played a lot as a true freshman but didn't play last year. Up front is an area that has some strength to it. Then the secondary is an area where you'll know more when you get pads on them. I do think athleticism wise there are some good athletes that played ball last year for us in a lot of situations, so I'm pleased in that area. Other than that I start making decisions more so when we get pads on them and we can start separating them. They usually do separate themselves at that time."
The first of UCF's preseason practices took place on Thursday, and the Knights continued without pads on Friday. The Knights will return to the field for practice Saturday at 3:20 p.m. with the first practice with full pads scheduled for Monday. All preseason practices through UCF Football Fall FanFest on Aug. 23 are open to both the media and UCF fans.
The opener for the 2009 season at Bright House Networks Stadium is set for Sept. 5 against Samford at 7:30 p.m. The Knights will play seven contests at the on-campus stadium.
Season tickets are currently available. To order season tickets, or to learn more about attending games at Bright House Networks Stadium, call 407-UCF-1000.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.