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Yahoo
14-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UCF football: Cam Fancher, Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown embrace QB competition
ORLANDO — Scott Frost let his quarterbacks know from the get-go that the starter's job for UCF was there for the taking. He who consistently makes the most "winning plays" will lead the Knights into the Acrisure Bounce House for the Aug. 28 opener against Jacksonville State. Fifth-year senior Cam Fancher and redshirt juniors Jacurri Brown and Tayven Jackson intend to make that decision difficult until game week, and potentially beyond. Their response, in a nutshell: Bring it on. "I think we all take it as, 'If (someone) goes out and does something, I'm going to one-up you.' It's all fun," Brown said Aug. 4 during the team's media day. "You've got coaches like Coach Frost, Coach Coop (offensive coordinator Steve Cooper) and Coach KZ (QBs coach McKenzie Milton) that are not oblivious, and not hiding anything or sweeping it under the rug: it's a competition, and there is serious stuff going on. I'm open to that. I would rather you tell me, straight up, what it is without me having to assume." UCF Knights football: Who will start at QB? Our latest depth chart projection Little has separated the trio through the first week of fall practices, Frost said. Each has had their moments, and each has made a handful of mistakes. Frost believes Fancher, Brown and Jackson can each execute his uptempo offense, though it might be specifically tailored to accentuate their respective attributes. Cam Fancher, Jacurri Brown, Tayven Jackson have different scouting reports The left-handed Fancher (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), a veteran of 26 college starts, ran the first tempo series during the open portions of practice both on July 28 and Aug. 1. He broke camp as QB1 for both Marshall and Florida Atlantic in each of the last two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, he excelled in the intermediate passing range (10-19 yards) for FAU last season, completing 27 of 42 attempts for 610 yards with three touchdowns and one interception — equating to an NFL passer rating of 121.6. "I think this just being my fifth year, you kind of get an understanding of what it takes. And I feel like that's been the same since I got to college and it's the same now. It's consistency in your approach, consistency in your play," Fancher said. "We all can sling it, we all can extend. What separates you is doing it every play, play in and play out — taking what the defense gives you and being reliable for your teammates." Brown (6-4, 220), the lone holdover of the bunch from UCF's 2024 roster, inflicted damage with his legs. He ended an ultimately doomed, 4-8 campaign as the team's second-leading rusher with 401 yards and four touchdowns. Through the air, Brown hit on 34 of 66 throws for 387 yards, one TD and four picks. He's won one of his five career starts, a three-touchdown performance in 2022 against Georgia Tech in which he threw for 136 yards — on 14-of-19 passing — and rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries. Jackson (6-4, 212), meanwhile, won his lone start a season ago as Indiana's backup — accounting for 141 yards of offense and two touchdowns against Washington last October. In 13 career appearances for his hometown Hoosiers, Jackson threw for 1,263 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions, and he added four rushing scores. "Itching" to start for the Knights, Jackson said the trio has maintained a close bond since he arrived in January, leaving the battle between the lines. "When you walk off the field, you've got to flip your mindset. If you take what happens on the field and approach it in a locker room, it's going to get really hectic," Jackson said. "As a quarterback room, we love each other. We're friends off the field. We hang out with each other. Whoever they pick is their decision. And we have to be able to support that person. That shows the type of person you are, the type of man you are. In life, not everything's going to go your way." What is UCF QB coach McKenzie Milton looking for? In getting to know the trio over the last eight months, Milton said each possess different, desirable intangibles — Fancher's professionalism, Brown's determination and Jackson's vocal leadership and willingness to ask the right questions. The former standout UCF signal-caller ultimately seeks two traits when deciding who will be best equipped to turn the team's fortunes around — poise and command. "I think that's any offense, really, to be successful at this position," Milton said. "It's having poise when it's you and the other 10 out there and having command, getting guys lined up in the right spot and getting those other 10 to believe that they've got a dog that's operating in the huddle and running plays." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Open QB competition heats up in fall camp
Yahoo
14-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UCF QB competition continues, and other takeaways from 1st week of fall practices
ORLANDO — UCF is four football practices into fall camp, and has less than four weeks to go until the regular-season opener against Jacksonville State in the Acrisure Bounce House. The Knights held the first of 22 planned practices July 28 with nearly 70 new players on the roster and back under the leadership of Scott Frost. UCF went 4-8 last year and is projected by most nationwide pundits to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 for the third year running. While it's too early to make any sweeping declarations, here are three interesting takeaways from the portions of UCF's practice sessions open to the media. Cam Fancher leads off tempo drills as QB battle continues To kick off both open portions, Cam Fancher took the first reps during the team tempo periods. As opposed to purely attempting to read tea leaves, it reinforces the narrative that Frost's three-man quarterback competition is truly open. Fancher, Jacurri Brown and Tayven Jackson led one tempo drive apiece Aug. 1. Asked following practice, Frost said he is "not close" to reaching a decision. "It's funny; a different guy has probably graded the best every day," Frost said. "All three of them are playing well. I'd like to see more consistency. Right now, it's not mistakes. They're doing a good job with that. We had three interceptions on Day 1 — one each, actually — and that's too much. Since then, it's just finding a way to make the play work." Fancher has started 26 games over parts of three seasons, split between Marshall and Florida Atlantic. Jackson made six starts for Indiana, and Brown has three career starts under his belt — two for the Knights during the 2024 campaign. UCF utilizes indoor facility to beat blazing heat Rarely did UCF open practices indoors under Gus Malzahn, but that's been the preferred starting point for Frost through the opening week as Orlando has been under heat advisories. Expected "feels like" temperatures have hovered around 110 degrees at the hottest points of the day. "It's been hot. You forget until you're down here, what it's like," Frost said. "Good thing most of these kids are kind of used to it. We'll do what we can to be smart with them, staying inside for the first part of practice, and then we'll gradually work our way to have a whole practice outside. That, hopefully, will be an advantage for us early in the season." Practice periods inside the Nicholson Fieldhouse on media-open days lasted around 30-45 minutes before shifting outdoors. Construction crews continue to work on the Roth Tower renovation project ahead of the opening game. Antione Jackson snags highlight-reel interceptions Healed from offseason hip surgery, junior cornerback Antione Jackson made a pair of impressive interceptions in tempo drills on each of the two days. On July 28, Jackson locked up freshman Waden Charles, located the ball and picked off a throw from Brown. On Aug. 1, he stuck with redshirt freshman Bredell Richardson on a stutter-go and snatched the pass with one hand. Both starting cornerback spots are up for grabs, and Frost said Brown transfer Isaiah Reed has been unavailable. In addition, defensive end Jamaal Johnson, defensive tackle Derrick Leblanc and safety Jayden Williams were spotted working with the training staff off to the side of the field. Jackson is among those competing for a spot on the boundary, along with Jayden Bellamy, Ja'Cari Henderson, DJ Bell and others. "Him keeping his head up during his hip surgery, that's a tough thing to come back from," said UCF defensive end Nyjalik Kelly, a teammate of Jackson's at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. "I feel like he's back, he's healthy and he's ready to contribute." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football QB battle and other practice takeaways
