UCF senior DB A.J. Bouye/PHOTO BY Jacob Langston, Orlando Sentinel / August 4, 2011
UCF players sported light shoulder pads and helmets during Saturday’s practice as the Knights worked on installation instead of hitting.
“I thought some of the kids were banged up a little bit,” UCF head coach George O’Leary said.
Below are some notes from Saturday. UCF practices Sunday at 3:15-5:30 p.m.
–Glenn gets time with starters – Freshman CB Jacoby Glenn stepped in with the starting unit and held his own when starter A.J. Bouye was sidelined after breaking up a pass in the back of the end zone.
Bouye—who is recovering from an ACL injury—was able to put weight on his leg and his injury didn’t look serious.
Glenn had several pass deflections and played well against UCF’s starting receivers.
“I think Jacoby Glenn has great, great coverage skills,” O’Leary said. “He doesn’t have the strength you want right now as a true freshman, but he has great coverage skills…Some guys back there, you can coach them all you want, they don’t have instincts. Jacoby has instincts, and I think that’s what separates him a little bit from the other players.”
O’Leary said after practice that he doesn’t expect many freshmen to contribute in the early part of the season. However, Glenn does appear to be making a case for some playing time.
–Depth chart decisions – O’Leary said he is still evaluating what his two-deep rotation will be for this coming season.
Although O’Leary said he has a good idea of who the starters and backups will be, he likely won’t finalize the depth chart until Friday.
There is still some expected movement on the defensive side of the ball. Senior OLB Jonathan Davis received a bulk of the first-team reps Saturday after serving as Troy Gray’s backup for most of camp, while junior DT Jose Jose is pushing freshman Thomas Niles for a starting spot.
“Well I don’t know if Niles is going to continue to start,” O’Leary said. “I think [starter E.J.] Dunston is coming on. Jose Jose is playing much better. I’ve been pleased with him. He got his weight down to the 320s, which he hasn’t seen since probably since he was six.”
–Speaking of weight – Jose Jose has been running after practice with freshmen DTs Chester Brown (6-5, 340) and Micah Anderson (6-3, 360) in order to shed weight.
“They’ve all got their weight down,” O’Leary said. “I’ve been pleased with that. They’re doing it on their own, the extra running.”
–On offense, sophomore WR Josh Reese had a nice afternoon and caught the ball all over the field, exhibiting good body control and solid hands.
QBs Blake Bortles and Tyler Gabbert each had good outings, too.
–Kicking struggles — O’Leary wasn’t pleased with his kickers after they missed more than half of their field goal attempts to close practice out.
“I was more concerned about the kickers not being ready to kick at the end,” O’Leary said. “That burns me a little bit. They’re on scholarship like everybody else. They’re expect[ed] to make that. I told them that.”
–Noteworthy attendees – Former UCF S Sha’reff Rashad (2004-09) stopped by practice to watch his former team. It appeared that a Seattle Seahawks scout was also in attendance.