9 UCF Knights Make All-AAC Teams
The American Athletic Conference published their all-conference selections today. The UCF Knights did well with nine players being selected to first or second team.
Here are the nine that made it, with comments about each. Tomorrow will be more about the Knights that were snubbed from the list.
First Team All-Conference
Ryan Swoboda, OT - Really improved his play as the season moved forward. While it may have taken some time to acclimate to the UCF offensive line, he was a 6-foot-10 and 325-pound bulldozer for the majority of the season. Hard not like the effort that Swoboda showed.
Lokahi Pauole, OG - Should be considered the best guard in the AAC. Also as consistent an offensive lineman as there was in the league all year. Many of those power runs up the middle – even when quarterback John Rhys Plumlee ran a draw – started behind this man and eventually through a big hole in the defensive front.
Ricky Barber, DT - Despite receiving double teams and the opposition avoiding him for much of the season with their running game, Barber still had some really big moments. That hit on Tulane quarterback Micahel Pratt was one of the best UCF defensive plays of the season. In all, Barber tallied 43 total tackles, three sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hurries, and four pass breakups.
Tre’mon Morris-Brash, DE - Has established himself as UCF’s primary pass rusher with six sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and the player that opposing teams better know where he’s lined up during obvious passing downs. Moreover, Morris-Brash was not only a pass rusher, but he also did a quality job of playing the run as well, evidenced by his 50 total tackles. He has truly expanded his role and become a top defender.
Jason Johnson, LB - It was not even close. Johnson was the tackling machine for the Knights with 114. He was always around the football with relentless hustle. Another way to define Johnson would be to say he’s Mr. Consistency. He was a quality player against pass-heavy teams, power running teams, and could be used in obvious passing situations as well. Johnson was a huge pickup for the Knights from the Transfer Portal.
Second Team All-Conference
Ryan O’Keefe, WR - He’s the player that kept opposing teams honest with those reverses and quick screens, and he also ran past quite a few defensive backs. O’Keefe continued to be a clutch player that defenders struggled with, and the statistics proved that. 67 receptions, 688 yards, 10.3 average, and five touchdowns receiving. Plus, 21 rushes for 214 yards and a 10.2 average on the ground.
Samuel Jackson, OG - The spokesman of the team, Jackson was a 6th-year senior that plowed over defenders and helped to keep UCF’s offensive line together no matter the circumstances. During the War on I-4, Jackson really moved some Bulls out of the way for the rushing attack to dominate with 345 yards and three scores.
Matthew Lee, C - Surprising that he did not make the first team, but nevertheless, Lee was a technician with a mindset similar to Jackson in terms of leadership. He is a power player in the trenches and also improved his pass blocking during the season.
Isaiah Bowser, RB - One of not only the AAC’s best power runners with 13 rushing touchdowns, Bowser was a brute that could have competed and been highly successful in any league. Short yardage, there went Bowser, downhill. Everyone knew it and he still made the first down or the end zone far more often than not. He was also the man responsible for setting up many of those play-action shots that UCF used this season, as well as being one of the nation’s best running backs in pass protection.
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