5 players UCF football must retain, keep away from transfer portal
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ORLANDO — With the season over and exit interviews concluded, retention has the attention of UCF head coach Scott Frost and his staff.
Hired one year ago this week, Frost spent the 2025 offseason patching more than 60 roster holes just to field a team. The Knights finished one game shy of bowl eligibility at 5-7, including Big 12 wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
“I said this after the last game that we have a lot of guys that are pieces to build on and build around,” Frost said during his early signing day press conference Wednesday, Dec. 3. “It’s going to be a lot easier for us this year to know those guys, know which ones belong, which ones fit us, which ones are doing things the right way, and which ones we’re going to do everything we can to keep here. That’s going to mean we’re going to fill holes, rather than build an entire team, and that’s definitely a better position to be approaching this from.”
More than a half-dozen UCF players have already declared their intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2 and remains so for two weeks — headlined by quarterback Tayven Jackson, who started 10 of the team’s 12 games.
Not every transfer departure is strictly the player’s decision, of course. Frost’s staff identified their priorities and will set about negotiating with their respective representatives to ensure a return for next fall.
Several significant players have already publicized their intentions. Wide receivers Waden Charles and Duane Thomas Jr. plan to return after combining for 79 receptions and 818 receiving yards. Defensive tackle John Walker, meanwhile, is leaving after starting all 12 games and recording 40 tackles with three TFLs and one sack.
Before anything else is set in stone, let’s look at five more players UCF needs to keep ahead of the 2026 campaign, listed in alphabetical order.
Jayden Bellamy
UCF’s highest-graded defender, according to Pro Football Focus, Bellamy blanketed opposing No. 1 receivers in his first year after arriving from Syracuse. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 50.8% of throws into Bellamy’s coverage, per PFF, for 324 yards and one touchdown on 63 targets — equating to an NFL passer rating of 64.5.
Bellamy broke up eight passes and intercepted one, a game-clincher in Week 1 against Jacksonville State.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound New Jersey native has one year left of eligibility.
Lewis Carter
Carter considered UCF among his top-three schools during his tenure at Tampa Catholic, where he played for Jeris McIntyre, the Knights‘ director of high school relations. He ultimately signed with Oklahoma but transferred to UCF last winter after a 25-game run with the Sooners.
The 6-foot, 225-pound Carter blossomed as a full-time starter for the first time, registering a team-high 92 tackles (52 solo) with four TFLs, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He played 692 snaps and had one of the best tackling rates in the squad (7.9% missed tackle rate).
Following the BYU game, Carter said he would target captaining the Knights’ defense next year.
Preston Cushman
UCF might need to bolster its offensive line through the portal more than any other position group, considering the impending losses to left tackle Paul Rubelt and guards Jabari Brooks, Cam Kinnie and Keegan Smith.
Still, Cushman proved a mostly solid option in an elevated role after arriving from Ole Miss. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound redshirt junior started every game at right tackle (753 snaps), posting grades of 67.2 in pass protection and 61.9 in run blocking.
Cushman could capably kick inside and play guard as well, but experienced, quality tackles are likely to be expensive commodities in the portal. Keeping an in-house option could be a far more sensible decision.
Demari Henderson
Henderson, twin brother Ja’Cari Henderson and reserve linebacker Kam Moore entered the portal shortly after Gus Malzahn’s resignation, but ultimately returned to the Knights for the 2025 season. The former Seminole High state champs could start and finish their college careers in Orlando next fall.
The 6-foot, 185-pound redshirt junior finished second only to fellow safety Phillip Dunnam with 700 defensive snaps, per PFF. He had the third-most tackles (61), collecting three TFLs, one sack, one pass breakup and one interception.
The twins came to UCF as a package deal, though Ja’Cari only played 91 snaps on defense and 38 on special teams. If they want to find a place where both can be regular starters, that could complicate the situation.
Dylan Wade
Wade emerged as UCF’s No. 1 target down the stretch, setting a single-season program record for touchdowns by a tight end (five). Four of those scores occurred across the Knights’ final three games.
An Orlando native, the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder finished second only to Duane Thomas Jr. in receptions (43) and receiving yards (523). In his two previous years at Maryland, Wade posted 33 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns.
Kylan Fox (16 receptions, 137 yards, one TD) plans to exit via the portal, making it all the more important to get a deal done with Wade. The rest of the Knights’ tight ends combined to record six catches for 46 yards.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football has to keep these players out of transfer portal
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