3 questions facing UCF heading into spring football game

UCF wraps up its four-week spring football camp Saturday when the Knights host their annual spring game at the Bounce House at noon.

It’s been a quick turnaround for new coach Gus Malzahn, who arrived mid-February, with much of the time used to get players acclimated to the new coaching staff and different philosophies.

With that in mind, here are three pressing questions facing the Knights heading into Saturday’s game:

1. Who backs up Dillon Gabriel at quarterback?

Malzahn made it clear early on that Dillon Gabriel is the team’s starter heading into this season. But perhaps the bigger question facing the Knights revolves around his backup.

Redshirt sophomore Quadry Jones has been with the program since 2018 but has only five appearances during that time, attempting eight total passes for 15 yards during his career. He took part in 19 snaps last season primarily as Gabriel’s backup according to ProFootballFocus.com.

“Quadry has been great so far,” new quarterbacks coach G.J. Kinne said. “He’s a veteran guy in the room and he’s taken those other guys under his wing and his teammates respect him. He’s got the great athletic ability –– he can throw on the run, he can tuck it down and run.”

Redshirt freshman Parker Navarro arrived as a mid-year enrollee who took less than a handful of snaps last season. True freshman Mikey Keene joined the program as an early enrollee in January following a successful high school career at Chandler high school in Arizona.

“Parker’s another guy that his athletic ability flashes,” Kinne said. “He’s still a younger guy and he’s still processing everything. Mikey is another guy that’s come in there. He’s done everything right and he knows exactly what to do on every play. He’s got to continue to get stronger and faster and continue to build his arm strength. He’s like 17 years old, he should be going to like the prom.”

2. How will the offense look?

When Malzahn arrived at UCF, he pledged the Knights would have a “high-powered” offense, building on what the program had done in the past.

UCF averaged 44.38 points and 538.7 yards per game over the past four seasons. Meanwhile, in his eight seasons at Auburn, Malzahn’s teams never averaged more than 39.5 points and 501 yards per game.

How similar will the offense look to what fans are accustomed to seeing over the past few seasons?

“We’re going to have fun. We’re going to be an aggressive offense,” new co-offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. said. “When you look at our guys and the depth at certain positions, you certainly feel like we can continue to do that. We’re going to be a high-octane offense and we’re going to be fun and we’re going to give our fans a lot to be excited about moving forward.”

Added Kinne: “Whether it’s the run, pass, whatever it is, we’ll take what the defense gives us, but it’s going to be explosive and high-octane. We’re going to get after it and put a lot of points on the board.”

Because of the late arrival of the coaching staff, much of the spring camp has been spent establishing a foundation for the program, according to Malzahn. Without a coaching staff for nearly three weeks, the players used the spring to get back into shape while getting to know their new coaches. That leaves the summer and fall camp for installing the new offensive and defensive systems.

3. Can the defense get better?

After a rough season that saw UCF ranked No. 123 in the nation in total defense, things can only hope to get better. As much as people are quick to point to the offense, Malzahn reminded fans during his introductory press conference it’s the defense that helps programs go far.

“Our goal is to be a top-10 defense,” Malzahn said. “Four of the last five years at the school I was previously at, we were in the top 15, and I believe if you’re going to truly win a championship, you’ve got to play championship defense. You can’t just be about the offense.”

While at Auburn, Malzahn’s Tigers never finished lower than 87th in the country in total defense. The program produced top-40 defenses each season from 2016-19. UCF managed a top-40 defense four times –– 2013-14, 2016, 2019 –– since 2013.

New defensive coordinator Travis Williams brought an influx of youthful exuberance and energy to the defense.

“One thing I’ll tell you is we’re going to tackle,” Malzahn said of Williams. “It starts with him and his philosophy and who he is as a coach.”

The unit is young with about 71% of the spring defensive roster comprised of underclassmen with many of those players seeing solid action last season.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com.