UCF OL Owen Spell Named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
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The UCF Knights are adding another name to their award watch list, as Owen Spell was tabbed to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List on Tuesday afternoon.
The Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to players who are leaders in the community and excel in the classroom and on the field. It is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and former Florida quarterback.
Spell leads the team in community service hours among all returning Knights as he enters his second season with the team.
His local impact highlights that football is more than just the product on the field. Spell is embracing his part as a role model to the local community, participating in food drives and teach-ins at local elementary schools.
It is the second straight season an offensive lineman has been tabbed to the watch list. Paul Rubelt, who is impressing in training camp for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earned this recognition last year.
In the classroom, Spell achieved CSC Academic All-District and made the 2025 Big 12 All-Academic Team.
On the field, he was a rotational lineman. The 6-foot-8 senior appeared in all 12 games for UCF, starting twice at left tackle and shifting to the right side throughout the season.
UCF's offensive line won the Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week Award for allowing zero sacks in its blowout victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Spell played a role in helping the program earn that honor, as coach Scott Frost named him the starter.
His return places him in elite company with his teammates from last season. Frost retained 61% of the team's 2025 production, which ranks 29th in the FBS, only losing 14 players to the portal.
Spell bolsters UCF's offensive line depth with experience at both tackle positions and a couple of starts. He's receiving guidance from new offensive line coach AJ Blazek, who said he wants the position group to be a staple for the program.
Blazek is fanning the flames of competition and shifting the mindset of the position. He wants his linemen to be physical at the line of scrimmage and dominate incoming pass rushers.
His coaching style has transformed previous offensive lines he's coached: the Wisconsin Badgers and North Dakota State Bison. The Badgers were one of the best offensive lines in the Big Ten.
They allowed 13 sacks in 2024, the fewest in the Big Ten and 10th in the FBS. Wisconsin's rushing attack was also the eighth-best in the conference at 153.7 yards per game.
Spell joins his teammates, quarterback Alonza Barnett III (Maxwell Award) and tight end Dylan Wade (Mackey Award), on watch lists. UCF's season expectations are varied, but it's an encouraging sign that three Knights are earning recognition for their impact on the field.
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