Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 5 Josh Derry and DJ Bell
In this story:
Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!
In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.
For this entry, we have two players with the same jersey number. So, with seven days to go, let's meet UCF wide receiver Josh Derry and defensive back DJ Bell:
- Who is Josh Derry?
- What did Derry do last season?
- What role is Derry going to have in 2026?
- Who is DJ Bell?
- What did Bell do last season?
- What role is Bell going to have in 2026?
1. Who is Josh Derry?
Position: Wide Receiver
Class: Senior
Height/Weight: 5-foot-9 / 182 pounds
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
High School: Concordia Preparatory School
After three seasons at the FCS level with Monmouth, Josh Derry is set to make his FBS debut with the Knights.
As a freshman with the Hawks, Derry said a teammate gave him the nickname "Scary Derry" as a joke, a play on "Scary Terry," the nickname of Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. While it did not stick at first, his teammates began using it more as Derry kept making plays until it did.
"I think I embrace it by, again, just making plays, being able to win all over the field," Derry said. "It's a scary sight for a defense to see me, you know, running over, running past them on a deep route, or just catching the ball and going for 70 yards. You know, scaring coaches and the defense."
2. What did Derry do last season?
Derry was named an FCS All-American first-teamer by the Associated Press and Phil Steele and an All-CAA first-teamer after catching 76 passes for 1,123 yards and 13 touchdowns. He finished in the Top 10 in the FCS in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
3. What role is Derry going to have in 2026?
Of the Knights' newcomers in the wide receiver room, Derry is the one most likely to earn a starting job in 2026 alongside returners Waden Charles and Duane Thomas Jr..
Wide receivers coach Sean Beckton, following an April 18 practice session, said Derry had "shown that he can make every play down the field, in the core, he can run routes inside and outside, and also he can give us that vertical threat down the field."
4. Who is DJ Bell?
Position: Defensive Back
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2 / 185 pounds
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
High School: Pensacola High School
After spending his first three seasons of his college football career with Memphis, DJ Bell arrived in Orlando via the transfer portal prior to the start of the 2025 season.
Following an April 16 practice, Bell said he had been working on his aggressiveness and ball skills.
He has also bonded with fellow cornerback Jailen Duffie to the point where the duo went to UCF's indoor practice facility together at 1 a.m., Duffie said on Aug. 11.
"He took me under his wing pretty good when I got here," Duffie said. "We were going in, catching jellies, getting field work on the weekends, late nights."
5. What did Bell do last season?
Despite not earning a start, Bell entered 11 of UCF's 12 games off the bench last season. He made 17 tackles, 11 of which were solo, and broke up four passes.
6. What role is Bell going to have in 2026?
On the Knights' depth chart, Bell was listed as a backup cornerback behind Jayden Bellamy. With both Bellamy and another starting cornerback, Antione Jackson, returning in 2026 as well, Bell seems most likely to once again serve in a backup capacity, but still see the field at some point during every game. While he might not see as many snaps as Bellamy or Jackson, he provides a reliable depth option in the secondary in the event the starters need to take a rest or sustain an injury.
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
Follow itsBrysonTurner