UCF football returns 3 defensive line starters, but can they get more sacks in Big 12?

Regarded as the strongest position group on the roster, UCF's defensive line might also be its deepest.

Three of the Knights' four starters return, supplemented by two standout spring performers and a handful of consensus four-star recruits.

"We anticipate rotating, keeping guys fresh. … At least since I've been here, this is the greatest amount of depth we've had on the D-line and the most productive amount of guys up front," UCF defensive ends coach Kenny Ingram said. "We have added some pieces and intentionally built it this way so we can play and rotate more guys. We feel very confident about the guys we expect to play, and we're excited about what we feel we should be able to accomplish this year."

UCF consistently created pressure and maintained one of the top red-zone defenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season, allowing touchdowns on just 46.6% of opponent trips inside the 20-yard line. However, the overall totals for tackles for loss (76, 5.4 per game) and sacks (22, 1.57) ranked 76th and 109th nationally, respectively.

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Stuffing the run, creating turnovers and consistently getting to the quarterback are points of emphasis for first-year defensive coordinator Addison Williams. That starts up front, and here are the players who hope to set the tone for UCF.

UCF counts on Josh Celiscar, Ricky Barber for leadership, disruption

Josh Celiscar (6-4, 265, Sr., Winter Haven, Fla.)

Selected a captain for the second straight season, Celiscar enters his senior year with 22 starts under his belt. He paced the defensive line with 54 tackles, third overall on the team, while contributing 8½ TFLs and three sacks.

"I feel like there is a bigger expectation of me," Celiscar said after the opening day of spring camp. "I won't put too much pressure on myself, but I have to be on my P's and Q's so we can be good as a defense, good as a team together."

Celiscar has proven to be one of the better in-state recruiting finds from Josh Heupel's tenure in charge, a December 2019 flip from Western Michigan. He contributed immediately the ensuing fall with 10 apperarances, recovering a fumble and collecting an interception in his debut against Georgia Tech to earn 247Sports National True Freshman of the Week honors.

Ricky Barber (6-3, 295, RSr., Louisville, Ky.)

Barber followed position coach Kenny Martin from Western Kentucky after the 2020 season and has been an anchor for the Knights' defensive interior ever since.

Joining Celiscar among the team's group of captains, Barber started all 14 games as a redshirt junior and was named All-AAC first team by the league's coaches, Pro Football Network and Phil Steele. He brought plenty of pressure, registering a team-high 12 quarterback hurries, and made 49 tackles with nine TFLs and four pass breakups.

Those numbers represented a sizable leap from the year before when he had 29 tackles and 5½ TFLs, although Barber missed three contests due to injury.

Lee Hunter (6-4, 320, RSo., Mobile, Ala.)

A former top-100 consensus national recruit and Under Armour All-American, Hunter transferred to UCF after redshirting at Auburn for the 2021 season. He entered the Knights' D-line rotation in time for their home date with Louisville and competed in each of the team's final 13 games.

Hunter had 17 tackles, including nine solo stops. He registered his first college sack in UCF's road win over Florida Atlantic, and should have a chance for a true breakout season as he replaces Anthony Montalvo in the middle of the four-man front.

"Lee, that boy is a bull in a China shop," Barber said. "He's explosive, and he gets after it."

Tre'mon Morris-Brash (6-2, 245, 5th, Richmond, Va.)

Morris-Brash's sack total has steadily increased in each of his four years with UCF, peaking with a career-high six in '22 — twice as many as any other player on the squad. It's also the first time the man known simply as "Drop" was utilized as a full-time starter, suiting up for every game except the Military Bowl.

Chosen to the All-AAC first team, Morris-Brash also led the Knights with 13 TFLs and finished fifth in tackles (52). Ingram said Morris-Brash has turned in his best summer and will not be complacent with last year's performance.

"I challenged Drop, and he's responded," Ingram said. "I'm really pleased with his commitment, his focus, his determination. … Him and Josh still approach every day that they still have so much more to prove."

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Top-ranked recruit John Walker set to make immediate impact

Malachi Lawrence (6-4, 270, RSo., Louisville, Ky.)

A player consistently mentioned among the top defensive performers in spring camp, Lawrence elevated up the depth chart after working with the scout team in 2021. He shared a sack in the loss to Navy and notched a solo tackle versus South Carolina State.

"He simply grew up," Ingram said. "When we first got here, you could always see his athleticism. It took him until this point to mature and adapt to the college level and to take on that whole personality that he belonged here and can be productive here."

Lawrence's recruitment accelerated in the second half of his senior year at DuPont Manual, landing offers from Boston College, Tennessee and Washington State, along with UCF. He was considered a top-10 prospect in the state of Kentucky by 247Sports, and the No. 109 defensive lineman overall.

Matthew Alexander (6-3, 295, RSo., Buford, Ga.)

Like Lawrence, Alexander is another player whom coaches raved about in April. He similarly redshirted in '21 and blossomed into a key depth piece last year, making 10 tackles with one TFL and two QB hurries.

"Matthew's the type of guy who plays to a certain intensity and consistency every day," Barber said. "He never has a bad day, comes in and does everything right. He makes those big plays."

John Walker (6-4, 310, Fr., Kissimmee, Fla.)

Knights head coach Gus Malzahn described Walker as a "program changer" when he signed his letter of intent in December, and with good reason. The former Osceola High star and Under Armour All-American is the highest-rated signee in program history, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

In his four-year high school career, Walker totaled 146 solo tackles, 57 tackles for loss and 40 sacks. He joined UCF for bowl week practices and enrolled in January, and Malzahn said that he's been everything the coaching staff envisioned.

"He could have went anywhere he wanted," Malzahn said. "There was some schools that really came after him — like hard with a capital 'H', hard — but he stuck with us. This guy's going to be a great player for us."

Shaun Peterson Jr. (6-3, 240, RSr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Peterson switched positions at Florida International after playing running back for four seasons, and the move paid off in a big way. He collected six sacks, the 10th-highest single-season figure in FIU history, and hit the portal in the spring ahead of UCF's first Big 12 adventure.

When he got home last year, Peterson often created turnovers. He forced and recovered fumbles in wins over Bryant and Louisiana Tech. Playing a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker role, Peterson added 28 tackles (15 solo) and eight TFLs.

K.D. McDaniel (6-2, 250, Tifton, Ga.)

Added last year from Kentucky via the transfer portal, McDaniel played a part-time pass-rush role across 13 games. He had 10 tackles, but made his biggest contribution in the Knights' signature home win over Cincinnati with a strip sack to ensure victory on the Bearcats' final drive.

McDaniel has played in 32 Division I games, recording 27 tackles.

Kaven Call (6-3, 240, Fr., Apopka, Fla.)

Another key member of UCF's freshman class, Call committed on Christmas Day 2021 — two days after the program's Gasparilla Bowl victory over Florida — and stuck with the Knights.

Call recovered a fumble in the spring game and should be a key piece for the future, and likely the present, too.

"He has definitely impressed us since he's been here," Ingram said. "Coach Malzahn says it all the time, (Call) is a football player. He's an old-school player that puts his hard hat on and goes to work. He's very coachable, and he applies coaching at the right time."

Derrick Leblanc sitting out after Oklahoma transfer in June

• Kervins Choute (6-3, 285, RJr., Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

• Jamaal Johnson (6-2, 250, RFr., Miami)

• Dallaz Corbitt (6-5, 240, RSr., Columbia, S.C.)

• Isaiah Nixon (6-4, 215, Fr., St. Petersburg, Fla.)

• Andrew Rumph (6-3, 305, Fr., Palmetto, Fla.)

• Trace O'Hara (6-2, 235, RJr., Orlando, Fla.)

• Jack Morgan (6-4, 215, So., Mount Dora, Fla.)

• Keshaun Hudson (6-1, 307, So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

• Christopher Ficka (6-0, 280, Fr., Winter Garden, Fla.)

• Derrick Leblanc (6-5, 295, Fr., Kissimme, Fla.)

Corbitt and Choute have the most experience among the remaining defensive linemen, logging 20 appearances between them. Choute opened the '22 campaign with two TFLs late in the victory over South Carolina State.

Johnson, a former state champion at South Florida powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna, is viewed as a potential future leader. He made four tackles in five games as a true freshman.

UCF won a recruiting tug-of-war with Florida over four-star edge rusher Nixon, who had 13 sacks as a senior at Lakewood. The Knights flipped him back from the Gators just ahead of the December signing period after losing him during official visits in June.

One late, unofficial addition to the '23 recruiting class is Leblanc, who enrolled at Oklahoma but returned closer to home after spring ball due to "unforeseen circumstances." Teammates with Walker at Osceola, and another consensus four-star prospect, Leblanc will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, Knights coach Gus Malzahn confirmed earlier this fall.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Position preview for defensive linemen