July 10, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCFAthletics.com writer John Denton wraps up his three-part Q&A session with head coach George O'Leary by focusing mostly on the defensive side of the ball and recruiting.
The full story will be featured in the 2011 edition of the Knights Insider UCF College Football Preview magazine which is set to be available later this summer.
Parts one and two can be found at:
Q&A I
Q&A II
- QUESTION: You have said repeatedly that junior safety Kemal Ishmael is one of your most reliable players and favorites on the team. What is it about Ishmael that you respect the most?
COACH O'LEARY: ``He'll be a three-year starter and we have a lot of talented kids on the defensive side of the ball, but he's just the most consistent and sometimes the least recognized. He has the ability to play coverage and also come down and be an eighth guy in the box for us against the run.
``I wish they all had Kemal's work habits and he's a very detailed guy. And the position that he plays, good DBs have to be detailed. There can't be any sloppiness back there and Kemal takes great pride in doing things not almost right, but doing it exactly right.''
QUESTION: You lost a lot of veteran players at linebacker and wide receiver. Are those the two areas of the greatest concern heading into the season?
COACH O'LEARY: ``The linebacker corps is the one that I'm constantly looking at. We have some talent there, no question about it. But the key is that there are only so many sunrises and sunsets as far as getting them experience, so we need to get them as many reps as possible through walk-throughs and practices. We may have to change some of our practice patterns the way we've done them in the past just so that the linebackers get more work.''
QUESTION: You snagged the highest-ranked recruiting class in school history back in the fall, ranking No. 39 in one service. Does the early success of players like Jeff Godfrey, Josh Robinson and Kemal Ishmael change the way you view playing freshmen?
COACH O'LEARY: ``We're going after the best talent out there now and we're knocking on the same doors that everybody else is. We're not where we need to be yet, but we're making a lot of progress and we're fighting to get there every day. The one thing we fight all of the time is our limited tradition, but we're improving that. And we're fighting being a non-qualifier with the BCS. But we just look at it as we can't rest and we have to keep getting better with our recruiting to build your program.''
QUESTION: Most consider Denver native Leilon Willingham to be your most highly touted recruit. Do you see the freshman linebacker contributing right away based on his talent level?
COACH O'LEARY: ``Willingham is here already and I've already been very impressed with what I have learned about him as a true freshman. We'll find out more about him when he puts the pads on, but I think he's going to be a kid who has great contact speed and will give us all of the things that you are looking at from a linebacker. Already, I can tell that he has a great passion for the game and a great work ethic, so I'd say he's one of the freshman that we're going to be looking at very closely. He might be a game day kid in the very first game. He's that talented.''
QUESTION: We're a matter of weeks now from Fall Camp opening. Do you start to think now about how good this team can be this season?
COACH O'LEARY: ``I think it's still a little early because these summer months kind of determine our season. But there's no question from the reports that I have gotten from the weight coaches and our academic people that our kids have their heads on right. They're doing what they're supposed to be doing and I like that. Coming out of spring ball, I really thought we have a chance to be a good football team and I still think that. The key is going to be some of the things that we can't control like injuries. But this is the first year where we have a two-deep that I'm really comfortable with on offense and defense. We haven't always had that luxury in the past and I really think that's going to help us this season.''
UCF 2011 football season ticket packages can be purchased or renewed online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000. Home games include Charleston Southern [Champions UKNIGHT (Sept. 3)], Boston College [Hall of Fame Weekend (Sept. 10)], Marshall (Oct. 8), Memphis [Alumni UKNIGHT - Homecoming 2011 (Oct. 29)], Tulsa (Nov. 5) and UTEP [Senior Day (Nov. 26)]. Should UCF host the C-USA Championship Game for the fourth time in seven years, it would be played on Saturday, Dec. 3 and season ticket holders will receive the first shot at the best seats.
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.