UCF football transfer tracker: Knights land 3 commitments from portal

The NCAA transfer portal officially opened on Dec. 5 and at least 13 members of the UCF football team have announced their plans to depart the program. There is, however, help on the way as the Knights continue to add transfers from the portal.

Keep up with the latest news below:

2:20 p.m. Dec. 19: Texas State S DeJordan Mask

With safety Divaad Wilson declaring for the NFL draft on Dec. 7, UCF turned to the portal for help in the secondary and found some in Mask.

Vitals: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds

Resume: The Texas native has spent the past four years at Texas State, which competes in the Sun Belt conference, and appeared in 10 or more games each season.

Role: This season Mask played in all 12 games and recorded 42 tackles to go with a career-high 3 interceptions, which was second-most on the team. Last year he played in 11 of the 12 games and totaled 39 tackles, an interception, 2 pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. He has experience as a kick returner too — returning 13 kicks for 365 yards, most of which came in 2019.

Fit: Mask brings a wealth of experience to the secondary with 45 games under his belt in four seasons at Texas State. He has one season of eligibility left and he’ll use it in the Big 12 Conference at UCF.

1:30 p.m. Dec. 19: Arizona State LS Gage King

The Knights are set to lose long-snapper Alex Ward after this season and are hoping that King can help fill the gap.

Vitals: 6-foot-2, 245 pounds

Resume: The California native comes to UCF after four seasons in the Pac-12 Conference. He played tight end in high school before heading to Arizona State as a preferred walk-on at long-snapper.

Role: King spent most of his time at Arizona State as the backup long-snapper while working with the scout team. This year he played in three games.

Fit: The redshirt junior has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He’ll compete with three other long-snappers still on the roster: redshirt junior Tyler Paul, redshirt freshman Chris Bowerfind, and freshman Aidan Fedigan, who all previously walked on the team. By transferring to UCF, King gets a fresh start as long-snapper.

12:30 p.m. Dec. 19: Clemson CB Fred Davis

After losing senior cornerback Davonte Brown to the portal on Dec. 4, UCF appears to have found his replacement in Davis. The ACC junior brings experience to the secondary.

Vitals: 6-foot, 200 pounds

Resume: A Jacksonville native, Davis attended Trinity Christian Academy in high school before heading to Clemson. During the 2020 recruiting cycle, he ranked as the No. 53 player in the nation, the seventh-best cornerback and the ninth-best player from Florida according to the 247Sports Composite ratings that combine prospect rankings listed by major recruiting services.

Role: At Clemson, Davis played in 27 career games while making three starts for the Tigers. In three years there, he recorded 32 tackles, 4 pass breakups and a fumble recovery. This season he made 13 tackles, 2 pass breakups and recovered a fumble while missing the final six games after injuring his ankle.

Fit: Davis has as many as two years of eligibility remaining if he chooses to use an extra season granted to athletes by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 500 snaps played in three years at Clemson, Davis should fit right in at cornerback for the Knights.

12:30 p.m. Dec. 15: RB Anthony Williams

The Orlando native only appeared in one game during his two seasons at UCF and will head to his next school with three years of eligibility remaining.

Vitals: 6-foot, 215 pounds

Resume: A 3-star recruit out of Lake Brantley, Williams signed with the Knights under the previous coaching staff. As a senior in high school, he ran for 1,384 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2020.

Role: As a freshman, Williams spent most of his time with the scout team and only played once. He continued to work with the scout team this season but didn’t see the field.

Outlook: Williams found himself near the back of a deep running back room. This season, he was sitting behind veteran back Isaiah Bowser, redshirt junior RJ Harvey, junior Johnny Richardson and freshman Jordan McDonald among others. With the Knights adding former Gators running back Demarkcus Bowman from the portal over the summer, Williams’ path to seeing the field in Orlando was unclear.

Noon Dec. 15: DE Karlis Bailey-Vice

Bailey-Vice never appeared in a game in his two years at UCF and enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

Vitals: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds

Resume: An Orlando native, Bailey-Vice began high school at Timber Creek before finishing his career at Bishop Moore. Last year he walked on at UCF.

Role: He spent the majority of his time at UCF working with the scout team but was unable to crack the depth chart.

Outlook: Bailey-Vice failed to see the field in two seasons for the Knights and will search in the portal for a fresh start.

2:45 p.m. Dec. 14: WR Joey Gatewood

Following two straight days of additions from the portal, UCF saw another Knight enter it to leave. Gatewood departs after two seasons in Orlando.

Vitals: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds

Resume: Gatewood transferred to UCF ahead of the 2021 season after spending the previous year at Kentucky. He spent the ‘18 and ‘19 seasons with Gus Malzahn at Auburn before reuniting with the former Tigers coach at UCF after a quick stop at an SEC school.

Role: Gatewood appeared in 10 of 13 games at quarterback in his first season with the Knights. Mostly used as a rusher, he carried the ball 28 times for 142 yards and 1 touchdown. He also went 2 of 8 through the air with 17 passing yards and 1 score. Gatewood, however, switched to wide receiver in the spring and only played in one game this season.

Outlook: Malzahn found any opportunity to get Gatewood on the field last year but at times the timing of the swap at quarterback backfired. Following a switch to receiver, Gatewood rarely saw the field. A graduate transfer, Gatewood will be searching for his fourth school in his college career for his final season of eligibility.

6 p.m. Dec. 13: Alabama WR Christian Leary

For the second straight day, UCF has added a player from the portal and this time it comes at wide receiver. Alabama receiver Christian Leary announced that’s he transferring to come to play for Gus Malzahn.

Vitals: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds

Resume: An Orlando native, Leary played high school football at Edgewater where he accounted for 1,586 all-purpose yards in 2019. A consensus 4-star prospect, Leary signed with Alabama but two years later returns home to play for the Knights.

Role: At Alabama this season, Leary played in 10 games appearing mostly on special teams and at receiver. He recorded 1 catch for 6 yards on offense but was named the special teams player of the week twice by the Tide coaching staff. As a freshman in 2021, Leary appeared in eight games mostly on special teams but did catch his first career touchdown, an 11-yard pass, vs. Arkansas.

Fit: The Knights lost Ryan O’Keefe to the portal less than two weeks ago but, in terms of pure speed at receiver, they might have already found his replacement. Leary set an Edgewater record with a 10.50-second 100-meter dash in 2020. Although he lacks the experience at receiver, he’s a speedster that’s played in the SEC and has multiple years of eligibility remaining to use at UCF.

3:30 p.m. Dec. 12: USF LB Antonio Grier

After multiple Knights decided to transfer out of the program, UCF added a transfer to the program. The Knights received an oral commitment from Grier following a visit to campus over the weekend.

Vitals: 6-foot-1, 223 pounds

Resume: A two-time All-AAC second-team pick, Grier recorded 230 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions in 35 games at USF.

Role: Grier was a major part of USF’s defense and led the team in tackles in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21. This year he took a redshirt after injuring his hand early in the season.

Fit: Based on his experience and high level of performance on the field, Grier will immediately become a factor for the Knights at linebacker, which was a position of need following the departure of Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste.

1:30 p.m. Dec. 9: DB Ah’mare Lee

Only appearing in two games this season, Lee departs UCF with three years of eligibility remaining, he announced on social media.

Vitals: 6-foot, 200 pounds

Resume: The Miami native walked on the team ahead of the 2021 season after playing defensive back and wide receiver all four years at North Miami Beach High School.

Role: Lee spent the majority of his time in Orlando working with the scout team and defensive back unit. He didn’t see the field as a freshman and played twice this year.

Outlook: The redshirt freshman from South Florida will look for a fresh start at his next school after only playing in two games in his first two years of college at UCF.

10:45 a.m. Dec. 6: DB Trevion Shadrick-Harris

Entering the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, Shadrick-Harris will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school.

Vitals: 6-foot-2, 195 pounds

Resume: Prior to UCF, Shadrick-Harris played cornerback for Sierra Community College in Rocklin, California. Following his freshman season in 2019, the school didn’t play in the fall of the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He transferred to UCF in the spring of 2021.

Role: Shadrick-Harris spent his first year in Orlando working with the scout team. He appeared in two games this season.

Outlook: The junior college transfer was unable to make an impact on defense and mostly worked with the scout team during his time at UCF.

9:30 p.m. Dec. 5: WR Jordan Johnson

A Notre Dame transfer, the redshirt sophomore receiver announced he’s entering the portal with three years left of eligibility.

Vitals: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds

Resume: A former five-star recruit in the 2020 class, Johnson began his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to UCF after one season in South Bend. He was the No. 2 overall player from Missouri coming out of high school according to 247Sports.

Role: Johnson played in two games for the Irish as a freshman in 2020. At UCF his first year, he appeared in five games. This season he saw the field four times.

Outlook: Although he was a highly touted recruit in high school, Johnson will be heading to his third school in three years after failing to make an impact on the field at Notre Dame and UCF. He didn’t record a catch this season for the Knights.

5:45 p.m. Dec. 5: DB Philjae Bien-Aime

A name that the average fan might not recognize, the redshirt sophomore defensive back goes into the portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

Vitals: 5-foot-9, 180 pounds

Resume: A South Florida native who attended St. Thomas Aquinas, Bien-Aime walked on the team in 2020.

Role: He spent his three years working with the Knights scout team and only appeared in one game this season vs. Temple.

Outlook: As noted above, Bien-Aime rarely saw the field at UCF. While the scout team is an important piece to a football program, this isn’t a big loss for the Knights.

1 p.m. Dec. 5: LB Terrence Lewis

A transfer from Maryland, Lewis announced in September that he intended to enter the transfer portal a second time and he stuck to his word this week.

Vitals: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds

Resume: Lewis, an Opa-Locka native who attended Miami Central, was a 5-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports. After not playing last season at Maryland as a freshman, Lewis transferred to UCF ahead of the spring semester.

Role: He was limited in the spring because of a pre-existing knee injury. During training camp in August, Lewis was able to fully practice with the team. Lewis was in the mix at linebacker but ultimately did not land on UCF’s two-deep depth chart. He was removed from the team’s online roster following his announcement to transfer.

Outlook: Although linebacker is a position of need for the Knights, this isn’t a major loss for UCF. Lewis never saw the field in his time in Orlando and will be headed to his third school in two years.

Noon Dec. 5: WR Ryan O’Keefe

A key piece to UCF’s offense over the years, O’Keefe shared that the decision to transfer was not an easy one to make after four years in Orlando.

Vitals: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds

Resume: O’Keefe was a co-captain on the team this season and one of the most experienced players in the wide receiver room for the Knights. The Texas native played in 49 games in four years at UCF but really stepped up the last two seasons.

Role: O’Keefe caught 84 passes last year while totaling 812 receiving yards — both marks led the team. He was also second on the team with 7 touchdown receptions. This year he was second on the team with 725 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.

Outlook: O’Keefe was a star for the Knights. He was a big reason UCF beat Florida in last year’s Gasparilla Bowl. This year he played alongside transfers Javon Baker (Alabama) and Kobe Hudson (Auburn). The Knights will likely need to add another Power Five caliber wideout in an attempt to replace O’Keefe.

11 a.m. Dec. 5: LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste

A senior linebacker, Jean-Baptiste is the latest Knight to depart the program.

Vitals: 6-foot-2, 230 pounds

Resume: A South Florida native, Jean-Baptiste signed with UCF under former Knights defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. Jean-Baptiste has played in 45 games throughout his four years in Orlando.

Role: A co-captain on the team, Jean-Baptiste appeared in 10 games this season. He finished third on the team with 52 total tackles while recording 1 sack and 4 pass breakups.

Outlook: Anytime a team loses a starter at one position, it’s likely a major loss. Jean-Baptiste is one of those. Still, the Knights saw freshman linebacker Kam Moore earn playing time in the second half of the year while Jean-Baptiste battled injuries.

9 p.m. Dec. 4: CB Davonte Brown

A starting cornerback for UCF, Brown announced his intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Sunday night.

Vitals: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds

Resume: A junior from South Florida, Brown started every game this year at UCF for the second straight season. He played in 36 games for the Knights in his three years at UCF.

Role: He recorded 30 total tackles, finished second on the team with 2 interceptions and added 4 pass breakups. In Saturday’s conference championship against the Green Wave, Brown had an interception and recorded 1 tackle.

Outlook: Brown has two years’ worth of starting experience and the Knights will have to fill that void moving forward. Brown led the team with 13 pass breakups in 2021.

3:30 p.m. Dec. 4: QB Mikey Keene

After deciding to sit out the AAC championship game at Tulane to preserve his redshirt season, the backup quarterback Keene announced he is transferring.

Vitals: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds

Resume: An Arizona native, Keene signed at UCF under former coach Josh Heupel and stuck with the team under Gus Malzahn. He became the Knights’ starting quarterback as a freshman last year after former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel broke his left collarbone in his throwing arm in the third week of the year.

Role: Keene started the final 10 games for UCF last season but lost the quarterback competition to John Rhys Plumlee ahead of this season. Keene appeared in four games this season throwing for 647 yards to go with 6 touchdowns and 1 interception while completing 72% of his passes in relief of Plumlee.

Outlook: Keene wasn’t recruited by Malzahn and he’s not a fit for Malzahn’s offense. That was made clear when Malzahn added Plumlee from the transfer portal in the spring and then again in August when the Knights landed USF transfer Timmy McClain. While UCF won with Keene, he’s simply not the type of quarterback Malzahn needs for his system.

9:45 a.m. Dec. 4: P Andrew Osteen

Osteen became the first UCF player to announce he’s transferring but the senior punter is far from the last.

Vitals: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds

Resume: Osteen leaves UCF with the second-highest career punting average (42.2) in program history. He ranks inside the top five in both the total number of punts and yards punting.

Role: Mainly a punter in his career, Osteen also was UCF’s holder for field goals this season. He entered the year on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which recognizes the nation’s top punter, but lost his starting job at punter.

Outlook: For the first time in his career at UCF, Osteen had to share time punting. Newcomer Mitch McCarthy quickly earned playing time before eventually becoming UCF’s main punter while Osteen only saw the field as the team’s holder down the stretch of the season.

Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.

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