ORLANDO—UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis and wide receiver Ryan O'Keefe have been voted by the College Sports Information Director of America to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District Football Team.
The two UCF players were selected to the District 4 team which is comprised of Division I players from the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Davis, a 6-2, 310-pound fifth-year senior from Pensacola, Florida (West Florida Tech), boasts a 3.36 grade-point average. He earned a degree in criminal justice from the College of Community Innovation and Education (graduating in December 2020) and is pursuing a second degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Davis has started five games at defensive tackle in 2021 and has accounted for 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack and three quarterback hurries. He had a career-high six tackles plus a team-high and career-best three TFL for nine yards in the season-opening win over Boise State. Davis was named the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the week for his efforts against Boise State.
Davis was a first-team 2021 preseason all-AAC selection. He opted not to play in 2020 after making 27 tackles and eight TFL in 13 games (nine starts) in 2019. Davis was a first-team all-AAC pick by Pro Football Focus in 2019.
O'Keefe, a 5-10, 175-pound junior from Austin, Texas (Round Rock), has a 3.47 GPA, also as a criminal justice major in the College of Community Innovation and Education.
O'Keefe is the leading receiver on the 2021 Knights team with 63 receptions for 626 yards and six TDs. He also has carried the football 10 times for 150 yards and one TD. A starter in nine games for UCF in 2021, he stands second in the AAC in passes caught per game at 6.3.
He had a career-high 11 grabs versus Tulane for 94 yards, including a 53-yard catch (then the longest UCF play in 2021) to set up his own 15-yard TD catch in the first period. He caught 10 passes against East Carolina for 73 yards—and threw a 20-yard TD pass to Dillon Gabriel against Louisville.
O'Keefe recorded 20 receptions for 391 yards, three TDs in 10 games (six starts) in 2020, including a 93-yard TD catch versus Memphis and a career-high 175 receiving yards against the Tigers. He caught seven for 74 yards in 13 games in 2019.
The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Davis and O'Keefe advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America national ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in mid-December.
Other district nominees from UCF were sophomore cornerback Davonte Brown, sophomore defensive end Josh Celiscar, senior offensive tackle Samuel Jackson, senior defensive tackle Anthony Montalvo and senior long snapper Alex Ward.