UCF’s Tackett Curtis reunites with DC Alex Grinch to solidify Knights’ defense

UCF’s Alex Grinch has known Tackett Curtis since he was a 16-year-old in Many, a small town of about 2,500 people in Louisiana’s Sabine Parish.

Football was the common connection, with Grinch recruiting the former four-star linebacker while serving as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma under coach Lincoln Riley. When Riley took the USC job in 2023, Grinch followed and it wasn’t long before Curtis made a similar move, signing with the Trojans.

After Grinch was fired following the season, he landed at Wisconsin and Curtis followed.

Two seasons later, when Curtis entered the transfer portal, he got a call from a familiar voice. Grinch, now serving as defensive coordinator at UCF under coach Scott Frost, was looking for an experienced linebacker to help solidify the Knights’ defense.

“I’m real close with Coach Grinch,” Curtis said recently. “He brings a great mentality and teaches a lot of life lessons, too, not only on the football side of things, but outside football. It’s been great to be alongside him and to keep learning from him while trying to get better as a player.”

While Grinch chooses to remain unbiased about his players, he admits it’s hard not to applaud the senior.

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“You root for guys, especially guys that have been through it,” said Grinch. “Sometimes it’s an injury, or in this case, you’re talking about a couple of stops along the way, but he’s one of those guys that the belief in him has never wavered on my part or on his.”

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Curtis has been a welcome addition to the UCF roster, where he has paired with returning starter Lewis Carter. Curtis, 22, has emerged as a solid replacement for Cole Kozlowski in the middle of the defense.

Curtis ranks second on the team in total tackles with 13, behind Carter’s 15, and leads the team in tackles for loss (2) and sacks (1). He is coming off a career-high 9 tackles against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

“I try not to evaluate too much about myself,” Curtis said on Monday. “I just listen to the coaches and they tell me what to do and what I can do to get better and improve.”

Curtis has made significant strides in a relatively short period, though not always by design.

His college career kicked off as a true freshman, starting eight games for a struggling USC defense. He racked up 40 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. At Wisconsin, Curtis played interior linebacker, appearing in 24 games with eight starts and totaling 56 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, and a sack.

Grinch has been pleased with Curtis’ development throughout his career.

“He’s playing good ball for us,” Grinch said. “He was thrust into a role early in college, which was not fair to him. He was the best in our room as a freshman. That’s a tough deal for any guy. He worked through it, battled through it. He was probably above the eight ball in probably every category as a young guy, which is why he played.”

“This is a sport that rewards a level of perseverance and he’s one of those guys. I’m thrilled for him and I’m thrilled for us.”

Curtis credits his coach’s philosophy for developing success.

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“I like the mentality that Coach Grinch emphasizes to us: the strain of the ball, everybody runs to the ball and make it a big competition,” said Curtis.

Meanwhile, Curtis has played a significant part in UCF’s early success on defense.

The Knights ranked 27th in the nation in total defense, allowing 248 yards per game through the first two games. The defense was impressive, albeit in a 12-7 loss to Pitt this past weekend, holding the Panthers to just 73 yards in the second half.

As UCF looks to rebound against Georgia State on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN+), Grinch can’t help but be impressed with Curtis.

“When you see a product on the field that suggests that he’s what he was advertised to be years ago, it gets you excited and he’s just going to keep getting better. I’m just telling you he’s going to keep getting better as we get through this thing,” said Grinch.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram at @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

Up next

What: Georgia State (2-0) at UCF (1-1)

When: 7 p.m., Saturday

Where: Acrisure Bounce House Stadium, Orlando

TV: ESPN+

Favorite: UCF by 18.5 points