The 2024 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida (UCF) as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by Gus Malzahn in his 4th and final season as their head coach. The Knights played their home games at FBC Mortgage Stadium located in Orlando, Florida.
After eight games, on October 28, defensive coordinator Ted Roof was fired. Starting with the game against Arizona on November 2, assistant Addison Williams was promoted to defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. was named offensive play-caller.
The Knights started off the season 3–0, with Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson at quarterback. The Knights notably rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat TCU 35–34 on the road in week 3. But they would lose 8 of their last 9 to finish 4–8 (2–7 in Big 12). Jefferson was benched, replaced first by EJ Colson, then by Jacurri Brown, then by redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk. Senior running back RJ Harvey was the offensive standout for the year, rushing for 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns, along with 267 yards receiving and three touchdowns catches. Harvey finished his UCF career with a school record 48 all-time touchdowns, breaking the record previously held by Kevin Smith. With a loss to West Virginia on November 23, the Knights were eliminated from bowl contention for the first time since their winless 2015 season, ending a school record eight straight bowl games.
On November 30, one day after their season concluded, head coach Gus Malzahn resigned to take the offensive coordinator position at Florida State.
Offseason Transfers Incoming Ja'Varrius JohnsonWRAuburnMac McWilliamsDBUABKeegan SmithIOLCentral MichiganSheldon Arnold IIDBETSUJacoby JonesWROhioPeny BooneRBLouisvilleJacurri BrownQBMiamiTre'Quon FegansDBUSCJack BernsteinLSGeorgia StateNyjalik KellyDEMiamiCedrick HawkinsSOhio StateEvan Morris TEMichigan StateKJ JeffersonQBArkansasLadarius TennisonSTAROle MissEthan BarrLBVanderbiltJesiah PierceLBTexas TechAntoine JacksonDBEast CarolinaXe'ree AlexanderLBIdahoJabari BrooksOLSamfordMyles Montgomery RBCincinnatiDaylon DotsonDEUT MartinDeShawn PaceSTARCincinnatiByron Threats SCincinnatiWes DorseyOLWestern KentuckyReece AdkinsTEEastern KentuckyZavier CarterDEUNLVGoldie LawrenceWRFlorida State
Outgoing Zavier CarterLBGeorgia StateXavier WilliamsDBMiddle TennesseeJason DuclonaDBLibertyJa'Maric MorrisDBGeorgia StateStephen MartinWRSamfordGoldie LawrenceWRFlorida A&MNikai MartinezDBMichigan StateTimmy McClainQBArkansas StateJosh CeliscarDETexas A&MJarvis WareDBUNLVKD McDanielDEGeorgia StateDallaz CorbittDEBethune–CookmanKervins ChouteDTUConnIsaiah PaulLBNAAmari JohnsonWRFlorida A&MCorey ThorntonDBLouisvilleKeenan CupitLBVirginia UnionTyler GriffinWRULMJaylon GriffinWRTexas StateJordan McDonald RBBoston CollegeDrake Metcalf IOLVirginiaGunnar SmithQBHighland CCFred Davis IIDBJacksonville StateDemarkcus BowmanRBNA Source:
Preseason Spring game The 2024 UCF spring exhibition game was played on Friday April 12 at FBC Mortgage Stadium. The team was split into two squads for gameplay, the Knights and the 'Nauts. Two 12-minute halves were followed by a series of player skill challenges. Quarterback KJ Jefferson threw for 271 yards and two touchdown passes.
Date Time Spring Game Site Result April 12 7:00pm Knights vs. 'Nauts FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL 26-7 'Nauts
Big 12 media poll The preseason poll was released on July 2, 2024. UCF was picked to finish eighth.
Award watch lists Eleven players were named to the Reese's Senior Bowl watchlist: RJ Harvey, Peny Boone, Deshawn Pace, Brandon Adams, Marcellus Marshall, Mac McWilliams, Malachi Lawrence, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, KJ Jefferson, and Ricky Barber.
KJ Jefferson QB Maxwell AwardDavey O'Brien AwardJohnny Unitas Golden Arm Award RJ Harvey RB Maxwell AwardDoak Walker Award Lee Hunter DT Bronko Nagurski TrophyOutland TrophyChuck Bednarik AwardLombardi Award Xavier Townsend WR Paul Hornung Award Kobe Hudson WR Fred Biletnikoff Award Caden Kitler OL Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award William Wells S Wuerffel TrophyListed in the order that they were released
Schedule
Source
Game summaries
vs. New Hampshire (FCS)
Statistics UNH UCFFirst downs927Total yards166639Rushing yards71454Passing yards95185Time of possession30:2729:33 UCF won their season opening game for the 9th consecutive season. The UCF offense put up 454 rushing yards, just 7 yards shy of the school record set in 1992. New quarterback KJ Jefferson had a shaky start, completing only 2 passes in the first half. But Jefferson eventually threw for 164 yards and two touchdown passes, and ran for a touchdown. RJ Harvey led the offense with 142 yards rushing, two touchdown runs, along with one reception for 8 yards. Leading 23–3 at halftime, the Knights put the game away with touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the third quarter.
vs Sam Houston
Statistics SHSU UCFFirst downs1228Total yards286554Rushing yards67384Passing yards219170Time of possession25:5734:03 RJ Harvey rushed for 126 yards and four touchdowns as UCF defeated Sam Houston 45–14. UCF improved to 2–0 on the season and achieved their 200th Division I FBS game victory. The Knights offense racked up a total of 384 yards rushing, the second week in a row with a strong ground game output. The Knights defense forced two turnovers, plus the special teams unit recovered a botched punt attempt by the Bearkats at the 2 yard line.
Harvey's four rushing touchdowns tied a school-record, last achieved by Isiah Bowser in 2019. The Knights started the season 2–0 for third time in four seasons under head coach Gus Malzahn. For this game, the players' helmets featured decals designed by pediatric patients at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, in honor of Pediactric Cancer Awareness month.
at TCU
Statistics UCF TCUFirst downs3026Total yards519460Rushing yards28958Passing yards230402Time of possession32:5427:06 UCF traveled to TCU for their Big 12 conference opener. The Knights erased a 21-point deficit and defeated the Horned Frogs by the score of 35–34. Quarterback KJ Jefferson threw for 230 yards and three touchdown passes, and also rushed for 46 yards. RJ Harvey rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, as the UCF offense put up 289 yards rushing total. It was UCF's first intra-conference road victory against an existing Big 12 opponent (one that was a member of the conference prior to 2023).
TCU built a 14–0 lead in the first quarter, with two quick touchdown strikes by quarterback Josh Hoover. UCF's first quarter drives came up empty, with a three-and-out followed by a blocked field goal. The Knights got on the board on the first play of the second quarter, with a 29-yard touchdown pass to RJ Harvey. The Horned Frogs answered, and stretched their lead to 21–7. In the final minute of the second quarter, the Knights were driving deep into TCU territory. The TCU defense managed to keep the Knights out of the endzone, and UCF had to settle for a field goal attempt. Colton Boomer's 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked - his second block of the half - and TCU led 21–7 at halftime.
TCU got the ball to start the third quarter, and drove 75 yards in just four plays. Josh Hoover connected to Jack Bech for a 50-yard touchdown, and the Horned Frogs led 28–7, their largest lead of the night. The Knights, rallied, however, scoring touchdowns on their next three drives. With 13:38 left in regulation, TCU clung to a 31–28 lead.
TCU drove down inside the UCF 10 yard line with under 11 minutes left. On 3rd & Goal at the UCF 1, a costly false start penalty pushed them back to the 6. The UCF defense stiffened, and TCU settled for a field goal and a 34–28 lead. After a TCU three-and-out, UCF took over with 3:44 to go. KJ Jefferson drove the Knights 72 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead score. Jefferson found Kobe Hudson for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left. Colton Boomer's extra point gave the Knights a 35–34 lead. TCU had one last chance, and managed to make it down to the UCF 40 yard line. Kyle Lemmermann's 58-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired, and the Knights secured the victory.
vs Colorado
Statistics COLO UCFFirst downs2631Total yards418461Rushing yards128177Passing yards290284Time of possession29:5730:30 UCF hosted Colorado for their Big 12 intra-conference home opener, and the UCF main campus hosted Fox's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. The Buffaloes defeated the Knights 48–21 behind Shedeur Sanders' three touchdown passes. The Knights offense committed four turnovers in the loss.
at Florida
Statistics UCF UFFirst downs2018Total yards273359Rushing yards108130Passing yards165229Time of possession27:4432:16 UCF faced Florida for the fourth meeting all-time. The Gators won the first two meetings at Gainesville (1999, 2006), and the Knights won the most recent meeting at the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl. This was the Knights' third and final non-conference game of the season. The Gators jumped out to a 24–3 lead in the first half, then held on for a 24–13 victory.
vs Cincinnati (rivalry)
Statistics CIN UCFFirst downs1919Total yards338397Rushing yards97196Passing yards241201Time of possession33:4426:16 UCF hosted rival Cincinnati. KJ Jefferson was benched during the week and freshman EJ Colson started at quarterback. Jacurri Brown eventually took over in the middle of the first quarter. The Knights fell 19–13 for their third straight loss.
at No. 9 Iowa State
Statistics UCF ISUFirst downs1428Total yards416530Rushing yards354256Passing yards62274Time of possession22:3237:28 After playing most of the game the week prior, Jacurri Brown started at quarterback. Brown struggled in the air, completing only 8 passes for 62 yards, and 2 interception. However, he had 154 yards on the ground, and two touchdown runs. The Knights offense, led by RJ Harvey, racked up 354 total yards rushing. The UCF defense made two interceptions - a 63-yard "pick-six" by Brandon Adams, and a 70-yard interception return by Braeden Marshall that led to a touchdown. The Knights were leading #9 Iowa State 35–30 on the road with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Rocco Becht then drove the Cyclones 80 yards in 11 plays, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left. The Knights fell to 3–4 on the season.
vs No. 11 BYU
Statistics BYU UCFFirst downs2918Total yards483379Rushing yards255181Passing yards228198Time of possession40:2819:32 BYU built a 17–0 lead in the first half, and pulled away for a 37–24 victory. Jacurri Brown started at quarterback for the Knights, but was benched in the fourth quarter after throwing two interceptions and managing only 96 yards. Dylan Rizk came in at quarterback and drove the Knights for two late touchdown scores, but time ran out for any chance at a comeback.
vs Arizona
Statistics ARIZ UCFFirst downs1433Total yards261602Rushing yards5308Passing yards256294Time of possession28:3931:21 UCF hosted Arizona for the 8th annual Space Game. The Knights routed the Wildcats by the score of 56–12 to snap a five-game losing streak, and to improve to 8–0 all-time in the history of the Space Game. Redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk made his first start at quarterback, and threw for 294 yards and three touchdown passes.
RJ Harvey rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns, two in the first half. Harvey scored his first touchdown of the day on a 17-yard run in a heavy downpour. The play was set up by a Wildcats fumble one play earlier deep in their own territory. Harvey's second touchdown came in the second quarter, capping off a 99-yard drive which started inside their own 1 yard line. With UCF up 28–6 with 4 seconds left in the second quarter, Rizk connected to Randy Pittman Jr. for a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown as time expired. The Knights took a 35–6 lead into halftime.