ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – Spring football practices are beneficial to many teams in many different ways. For the Knights this spring, much of the focus has been on competition and improvement.
In the UCF defensive secondary, improvement may be difficult on paper. The Knights graduated four starters who were mainstays for one of the best defenses in the nation last season. But the competition amongst the group vying for playing time is helping prepare the secondary for the future.
"Iron sharpens iron," junior Tre Neal said after the team's eighth practice of the spring. "We don't really have starters right now. We're just trying to figure out what's the best group to go with … we're just all trying to make everybody better."
One way the secondary is trying to get better is through versatility. Many of the Knights' defensive backs have the ability to play both corner and safety.
"Everybody's playing multiple positions, just trying out … seeing what's the best thing for everybody. We tried some new people at some new positions today. It's actually breeding really good competition. People are kinda feeling on edge and gotta pick up their game a little bit."
Both the offensive and defensive units agree that the Knights are vastly improved on offense. That's continuing to help the defense improve, but also bodes well for production when UCF has the ball this fall.
"We're night-and-day from where we were last year across the board at every position," offensive coordinator Troy Walters said Wednesday after practice. "The guys understand what we're asking of them tempo-wise, scheme-wise, effort-wise."
What's Up Next?
The Knights get an extra day of rest before their next workout. The first two weeks of spring ball featured Friday practices. With UCF holding a recruiting event this weekend, the Knights will practice on Saturday evening.
It will also be the first of two evening sessions during spring ball. UCF will also practice in the evening next Friday (April 14). Of course, the Spring Game is also an evening event and technically counts as one of the team's 15 practices through the spring.
Spring Game Details
The second UCFastival will be held April 22, beginning at 11 a.m. The pre-game festivities will be highlighted by a concert from country music sensation Lauren Alaina. The Spring Game follows the UCFastival and begins at 6:30 p.m. Click here for more information.