The UCF running game, the last two seasons under the direction of Anthony Tucker, has produced the best back-to-back years in Knight history.
Tucker was named to the UCF football staff in December 2017 as the Knights’ running backs coach, added the title of passing game coordinator in the summer of 2019 and was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in January of 2020.
In his first year with the Knights in 2018, Tucker helped lead UCF to its second straight undefeated regular season and second straight American Athletic Conference Championship. The Knights earned a berth in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and rose as high as seventh in both the Associated Press top 25 and the Amway poll of coaches. In 2019 UCF added a 10-3 record and fourth consecutive postseason assignment, a program record, winning the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
The Knights rushing attack in 2018 set program records with 3,448 rushing yards, 265.2 rushing yards per game, 43 rushing touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry. UCF ranked fifth in the nation with 347 first downs, eighth in rushing offense, fifth with 522.7 yards of total offense per game and sixth in scoring with 43.2 points per game.
Then in 2019 the Knights’ diversified run game saw the top four runners combine for 2,488 yards, 27 TDs and an amazing average of 6.46 yards per carry. UCF averaged 223.8 rushing yards per game in 2019, marking the first time in Knight history it has topped the 200-yard mark in consecutive seasons (and only the third time in UCF history that figure has been surpassed).
Tucker helped lead one of the top running back corps in the country in 2018, as Greg McCrae destroyed the UCF single-season record and ranked second in the nation with 8.89 yards per carry. McCrae became UCF’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2013 and his 1,182 yards ranked as the fourth best single-season performance in program history. Adrian Killins Jr. had another stellar career in the backfield in his first season under Tucker’s leadership in 2018, earning AAC second-team all-conference honors. The Daytona speedster rushed for 715 yards and four TDs on 4.9 yards per carry and grabbed 19 catches for 377 yards and another four scores through the air.
Otis Anderson, Killins, Bentavious Thompson and McCrae all contributed at least 529 yards in 2019—as Killins averaged 7.2 yards per carry and Thompson was right behind at 6.9. Killins won second-team all-conference honors for a second straight year, while Anderson merited honorable mention status.
Tucker came to Orlando after serving two seasons as running backs coach at Maryland. Prior to his time with the Terrapins, Tucker was a three-year member of the coaching staff at Arkansas State. He also has coaching experience at Idaho State and was on staff at Colorado.
During his first season with Maryland, Tucker helped lead a rushing offense that put up 2,594 yards and 26 rushing TDs. It marked the first time the Terps had eclipsed 2,500 rushing yards since 2003 and the most rushing TDs since 2007.
In his three seasons at Arkansas State, Tucker coached the running backs (2014-15) and wide receivers (2013). The Red Wolves were extremely successful during Tucker’s tenure at Arkansas State, winning the 2013 Sun Belt Conference title and earning trips to bowl games in all three seasons. In 2015 Tucker’s running backs helped set school records for points scored and TDs, while rushing for 3,007 yards and averaging 4.95 yards per carry. The Red Wolves were No. 15 in the nation for rushing offense. In 2014, the Red Wolves set a school record for total offense and ranked No. 25 in the nation in rushing offense.
At Idaho State, Tucker coached wide receivers on a squad that was among the top 10 in the nation in passing in back-to-back seasons. Tucker was an offensive technical assistant at Colorado in 2010. He coached wide receivers and was the passing game coordinator at Lakewood (California) High School from 2006-09.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Tucker played professional football. He signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1999 and earned a practice squad spot in 2000. He played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2001 and signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before suffering a career-ending injury.
Tucker holds a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, where he was a two-year starter at wide receiver. He was a Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete and a three-time member of the Dean’s List--and was once a member of the President’s List by virtue of having a 4.0 GPA.
Tucker was named to the UCF football staff in December 2017 as the Knights’ running backs coach, added the title of passing game coordinator in the summer of 2019 and was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in January of 2020.
In his first year with the Knights in 2018, Tucker helped lead UCF to its second straight undefeated regular season and second straight American Athletic Conference Championship. The Knights earned a berth in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and rose as high as seventh in both the Associated Press top 25 and the Amway poll of coaches. In 2019 UCF added a 10-3 record and fourth consecutive postseason assignment, a program record, winning the 2019 Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
The Knights rushing attack in 2018 set program records with 3,448 rushing yards, 265.2 rushing yards per game, 43 rushing touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry. UCF ranked fifth in the nation with 347 first downs, eighth in rushing offense, fifth with 522.7 yards of total offense per game and sixth in scoring with 43.2 points per game.
Then in 2019 the Knights’ diversified run game saw the top four runners combine for 2,488 yards, 27 TDs and an amazing average of 6.46 yards per carry. UCF averaged 223.8 rushing yards per game in 2019, marking the first time in Knight history it has topped the 200-yard mark in consecutive seasons (and only the third time in UCF history that figure has been surpassed).
Tucker helped lead one of the top running back corps in the country in 2018, as Greg McCrae destroyed the UCF single-season record and ranked second in the nation with 8.89 yards per carry. McCrae became UCF’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2013 and his 1,182 yards ranked as the fourth best single-season performance in program history. Adrian Killins Jr. had another stellar career in the backfield in his first season under Tucker’s leadership in 2018, earning AAC second-team all-conference honors. The Daytona speedster rushed for 715 yards and four TDs on 4.9 yards per carry and grabbed 19 catches for 377 yards and another four scores through the air.
Otis Anderson, Killins, Bentavious Thompson and McCrae all contributed at least 529 yards in 2019—as Killins averaged 7.2 yards per carry and Thompson was right behind at 6.9. Killins won second-team all-conference honors for a second straight year, while Anderson merited honorable mention status.
Tucker came to Orlando after serving two seasons as running backs coach at Maryland. Prior to his time with the Terrapins, Tucker was a three-year member of the coaching staff at Arkansas State. He also has coaching experience at Idaho State and was on staff at Colorado.
During his first season with Maryland, Tucker helped lead a rushing offense that put up 2,594 yards and 26 rushing TDs. It marked the first time the Terps had eclipsed 2,500 rushing yards since 2003 and the most rushing TDs since 2007.
In his three seasons at Arkansas State, Tucker coached the running backs (2014-15) and wide receivers (2013). The Red Wolves were extremely successful during Tucker’s tenure at Arkansas State, winning the 2013 Sun Belt Conference title and earning trips to bowl games in all three seasons. In 2015 Tucker’s running backs helped set school records for points scored and TDs, while rushing for 3,007 yards and averaging 4.95 yards per carry. The Red Wolves were No. 15 in the nation for rushing offense. In 2014, the Red Wolves set a school record for total offense and ranked No. 25 in the nation in rushing offense.
At Idaho State, Tucker coached wide receivers on a squad that was among the top 10 in the nation in passing in back-to-back seasons. Tucker was an offensive technical assistant at Colorado in 2010. He coached wide receivers and was the passing game coordinator at Lakewood (California) High School from 2006-09.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Tucker played professional football. He signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1999 and earned a practice squad spot in 2000. He played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2001 and signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before suffering a career-ending injury.
Tucker holds a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, where he was a two-year starter at wide receiver. He was a Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete and a three-time member of the Dean’s List--and was once a member of the President’s List by virtue of having a 4.0 GPA.