Senior offensive guard Cole Schneider, junior linebacker Tatum Bethune and sophomore safety Quadric Bullard headline UCF's selections to the 2021 Pro Football Focus (PFF) All-American Athletic Conference team.
All three players were named second-team All-AAC by PFF. The Knights also had five third-team picks and four other players who received honorable mention recognition.
A four-year starter on the UCF offensive line, Schneider (Fort Myers, Florida) opened in all 12 games in 2021 and boasts 46 career starts for the Knights.
Bethune (Miami, Florida) led the Knights in tackles in 2021 (with 101), ranking second in the AAC and 21st nationally with 9.2 tackles per game (including a career-high 18 in the regular-season finale versus South Florida).
Bullard (Dania Beach, Florida) started all 12 games in 2021, finished second on the team in tackles with 78 and ranked third nationally with three fumble recoveries.
Third-team picks from UCF were sophomore center Matt Lee (Oviedo, Florida), junior offensive guard Lokahi Pauole (Kapolei, Hawaii), sophomore cornerback Davonte Brown (Plantation, Florida), sophomore cornerback Corey Thornton (Miami, Florida) and junior safety Divaad Wilson (Miami, Florida).
Lee started 11 games at center for the Knights in 2021, while Pauole opened in all 12 games at guard. Brown started all 12 games, making 34 tackles and leading the team with 10 passes broken up. Thornton had 28 tackles, six passes broken up and 2.5 tackles for loss. Wilson started 11 games, finished fourth on the roster in tackles with 65 and shared the team lead with a pair of interceptions.
Earning honorable mention notice were junior wide receiver Ryan O'Keefe (Austin, Texas), senior offensive tackle Marcus Tatum (Daytona Beach, Florida), senior offensive tackle Sam Jackson (Bradenton, Florida) and junior defensive end Tre'mon Morris-Brash (Richmond, Virginia).
O'Keefe led UCF in receiving in 2021 (77 for 727, 6 TDs—most catches by a UCF player since 2006). Tatum started all 12 games at left offensive tackle in 2021. Jackson opened in all 12 games at right offensive tackle. Morris-Brash accounted for 21 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2021.
