UCF opens spring camp ahead of first Big 12 season; Here are five Knights to watch

The time has come: UCF's football team officially begins preparations for its first season in the Big 12 on Monday.

The Knights will hold the first of 15 scheduled practice sessions Monday. Included in those practices is the team's annual spring game, set for 6:30 p.m. on April 14 at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

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UCF went 9-5 in its final campaign as a member of the American Athletic Conference, losing the league championship game to Cotton Bowl winner Tulane. The Knights also lost both coordinators in the lead-up to the Military Bowl, and more than a dozen players to the NCAA transfer portal.

However, the Knights signed 15 recruits from the high school and junior college ranks, and added 10 athletes from the portal. Competition should be wide open at several key positions as UCF looks to make a smooth transition into Power Five status.

Let's look at five — six, technically — Knights worth monitoring over the next month, listed in alphabetical order.

Demarkcus Bowman

It's notable that UCF did not recruit a running back in the 2023 cycle, nor did it take one out of the portal in the 45-day winter window.

Isaiah Bowser has graduated and is chasing NFL dreams, leaving RJ Harvey and Johnny Richardson as the top two ball-carriers in the fold. Trillion Coles, Mark-Antony Richards and Jordan McDonald have all seen time in the backfield as well.

Bowman, meanwhile, could be an X-factor for the Knights in their debut Big 12 foray. He's a former five-star recruit who redshirted last season after completing a second transfer in as many years. In the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he rushed for 113 combined yards on 23 attempts for Clemson and Florida.

Thomas Castellanos and Timmy McClain

OK, so we're cheating a bit here, but quarterback reps are obviously worth monitoring as incumbent starter John Rhys Plumlee splits time with the Knights' baseball program. For those curious, as of Monday morning, Plumlee is batting .317 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and seven stolen bases as the everyday center fielder.

Castellanos burned a year of eligibility when he started for the hobbled Plumlee in the American Athletic Conference's championship game at Tulane, his fourth appearance of the season. The rest came in mop-up duty, though he flashed immense dual-threat potential — particularly on a 37-yard touchdown run in a blowout win over Temple.

McClain, by contrast, protected his eligibility when he transferred from rival South Florida in August, losing out on the starting job to Gerry Bohanon. The Sanford native spent this past season on UCF's practice squad, but threw for 1,888 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions as a true freshman in 2021.

New offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw is offering a clean slate to all four quarterbacks on the roster, and his stated desire to expand UCF's vertical passing game could mean the competition is more open than one would assume.

Ja'Cari Henderson

Co-defensive backs coach Addison Williams takes over as defensive coordinator following Travis Williams' departure for Arkansas, and he will look to patch holes in the UCF secondary.

Top boundary cornerback Davonte Brown transferred to Miami in December to link up with younger brother Damari. Starting nickel corner Justin Hodges was dismissed from the team on Jan. 20 after an arrest for home invasion robbery with a firearm and a mask.

Nikai Martinez seems the most logical choice to man the slot, and both Corey Thornton and Brandon Adams have starting experience on the perimeter. But, Henderson's role was elevated in the Military Bowl loss to Duke. The talented 6-foot, 165-pounder registered his first three tackles and a pass breakup.

Ja'Cari, twin brother Demari Henderson and linebacker Kam Moore were coveted recruits out of Sanford Seminole in 2022. All three had their moments as true freshmen and look like long-term pieces to the defensive puzzle.

John Walker

The Knights' top recruit already has some practice experience under his belt, joining the team in time for Military Bowl preparations in late December as he officially signed his letter of intent. He impressed in those brief glimpses, no surprise given his pedigree and consistent level of dominance at nearby Osceola High in Kissimmee.

'PROGRAM CHANGER':Osceola All-American John Walker becomes UCF's highest-ranked signee

"He could have went anywhere he wanted," Malzahn said on the first day of the early signing period. "There was some schools that really came after him — like hard with a capital 'H', hard — but he stuck with us. This guy's going to be a great player for us."

Walker should immediately contribute for the Knights along the defensive line, potentially forming a talented three-man interior tandem with Ricky Barber and Lee Hunter. Returning starters Tre'mon Morris-Brash and Josh Celiscar are locked in at the edge-rushing spots.

Trent Whittemore

Offensively, UCF has several significant holes to patch — particularly along the line following the graduations of left guard Samuel Jackson and right tackle Ryan Swoboda, coupled with center Matt Lee's transfer exit to Miami.

There is also a glaring hole at slot receiver as electric playmaker Ryan O'Keefe is gone, reconnecting with former UCF wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt at Boston College. Whittemore, a portal addition from Florida, is one of the candidates though he would offer a different dimension at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds.

More:Whittemore will be different type of mismatch for Gators in slot

Whittemore is poised to become a second-generation Knight; his father, former Buchholz head coach Mark Whittemore, was a teammate of Hinshaw's in the mid-90s. He caught 33 passes in 29 games for the Gators, totaling 425 yards and two touchdowns.

Kentucky transfer Chauncey Magwood, second-year players Xavier Townsend and Quan Lee and redshirt senior Amari Johnson, fully healed from an ankle injury that cost him the entire 2022 campaign, are also among the possibilities for UCF to start alongside Javon Baker and Kobe Hudson.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: 5 players to watch throughout 2023 spring camp