UCF Star TE Dylan Wade Named To Mackey Award Watch List

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Just days after UCF starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III was named to the Maxwell Award Watch list, another Knight has gained recognition.

Senior tight end Dylan Wade, who had the most productive season by a tight end in program history last year, earned a nod to the John Mackey Award Watch List.

This award is given to the best tight end in college football each season, with Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers winning in 2025.

Last season, Wade was UCF's most dynamic and reliable pass catcher, recording 43 receptions for 523 yards and five touchdowns – all program records at the TE position.

This past Saturday, Pro Football Focus College graded the returning tight ends within the Big 12, with Wade ranking No. 8 (68.5).

While this is a bit low, the Big 12 is littered with talent at the position, including Texas Tech's Terrance Carter Jr., who could be the leading bet to be the best tight end in the country this upcoming year.

It didn't take long for Wade to break out in his first season in Orlando, notching four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in UCF's season-opening victory over Jacksonville State.

With presumed starting quarterback Cam Fancher injured early in the first quarter, UCF's offense sputtered, as the two teams went into halftime tied 0-0.

Jacksonville State found the end zone first, going up 10-3 on the Knights early in the fourth quarter.

But, backup QB Tayven Jackson responded with a 39-yard strike to Wade, evening the score at ten.

This was Wade's only catch of the second half, but gave life into UCF's offense and allowed the Knights' second-string QB to gain some confidence.

Later in the season, Wade singlehandedly sparked the struggling UCF offense on senior night against Oklahoma State, hauling in two second half touchdowns, including an 83-yard bomb on the first play of the second half.

The now-senior's ability to stretch the field vertically and find space within zones was crucial for a struggling Knights offense.

Wade finished senior night with four catches for 145 yards. 

Getting onto any watch list is a strong achievement, but Wade should only improve with another year in head coach Scott Frost's system and a player of Barnett's caliber.

In Barnett's first completion of Fall camp, he found Wade on a stick route, which should foreshadow a huge connection this upcoming year.

It will also be fun to suit up with Wade in College Football 27, which ranks him in a four-way tie for the fourth highest TE rating with BYU's Benjamin Brahmer, Temple's Peter Clarke and Iowa's DJ Vonnahme.

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