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The transfer portal was good to UCF this off-season. Meet the new Knights that are coming to Orlando looking for a fresh start:
Brandon Wimbush, QB
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Class: Redshirt Senior
Previous School: Notre Dame
Eligibility: Immediately
High School 247 Rating: ★★★★
Wimbush comes to UCF with experience behind center that UCF desperately needs. With McKenzie Milton’s future uncertain after a gruesome knee injury and Darriel Mack Jr. suffering a broken ankle in the off-season, it looks like the starting competition has come down to Wimbush and true freshman Dillon Gabriel.
Wimbush was 13-3 as a starter for Notre Dame where he racked up 2,606 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air as well as 1,156 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. There’s no doubt he can change the game with his feet but the biggest knock against him is his inaccuracy. He’ll likely be the starter for UCF, at least for the beginning of the season.
Malik Barrow, DE
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Class: Redshirt Junior
Previous School: Ohio State
Eligibility: Immediately
High School 247 Rating: ★★★★
Barrow is an interesting get for UCF, considering he hasn’t played much football since high school. He suffered a torn ACL his senior year of high school, redshirted his freshman year at Ohio State, tore his other ACL two games into his redshirt freshman season with the Buckeyes, and then never saw the field again.
The now-redshirt junior graduated from Ohio State, making him immediately eligible as a graduate transfer for UCF. If he can stay healthy, the hope is he can provide some much-needed depth on the defensive line. There’s no doubt that the upside can be huge with Barrow.
Jordan Hayes, S
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Class: Redshirt Senior
Previous School: Duke
Eligibility: Immediately
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
Hayes is going to bring a lot of experience to a very strong secondary for UCF. The grad transfer played in 30 games with 13 starts for Duke, where he totaled 97 tackles and 8 pass breakups. While Richie Grant and Antwan Collier will be the technical starters, there’s no doubt that Hayes is going to play a big role in 2019.
Brandon Wilson, DT
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Class: Redshirt Senior
Previous School: Indiana
Eligibility: Immediately
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
Both tackle spots are up for grabs on the defensive line for the Knights, which will allow Wilson to control his own destiny. The graduate transfer played in 26 games throughout his career at Indiana but never quite made it to the top of the depth chart. Starter or not, he will provide much-needed depth and competition at the tackle spot.
Devin Nixon, WR
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Class: Redshirt Senior
Previous School: Western Kentucky
Eligibility: Immediately
High School 247 Rating: ★★
Devin Nixon is the older brother of starting wideout and Ole Miss transfer Tre Nixon. Expect most of his playing time to come on special teams, as UCF is very deep at receiver.
Tony Gray, OL
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Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Previous School: Ole Miss
Eligibility: 2020
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
There is hope that Tony Gray will be granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. Either way he’s been making a huge impact so far in his short time at UCF. If he is eligible to play immediately, there’s a good chance he could be the other starting tackle along with Jake Brown. Gray played four games for Ole Miss last season.
Jaylon Robinson, WR
Class: Sophomore
Previous School: Oklahoma
Eligibility: 2020
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
Although Jaylon Robinson wont see any action in 2019, his talent will still be beneficial on the scout team this season. With Marlon Williams, Gabe Davis and Tre Nixon being seniors in 2020, Robinson can help lead the next wave of #UCFast receivers with three years of playing time left after redshirting this season.
Rico Kearney, LB
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Class: Sophomore
Previous School: Virginia Tech
Eligibility: 2020
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
Kearney is a very talented player who comes to UCF as a walk-on. There is potential that he will be eligible to play in 2019 but as of now he will redshirt due to transfer rules. The linebacker had 35 tackles for Virginia Tech last season.
Cam Goode, DT
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Previous School: Virginia Tech
Eligibility: 2020
High School 247 Rating: ★★★
Cam Goode is another Virginia Tech transfer, except he left the Hokies before the start of his freshman season in 2018. It was unclear if he will play for UCF in 2019 but the hope is that he will be eligible. If he is able to play, expect him to be one of the frontrunners at defensive tackle. With potentially four years of eligibility, Goode has a good (pun intended) chance of leaving a huge impact at UCF.