Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 66 Brady Wayburn
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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.
So, with 66 days to go, let's meet UCF's offensive lineman Brady Wayburn:
1. Who is Brady Wayburn?
Welcome to UCF, @WayburnBrady ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/BZZNFkxyEy
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) January 5, 2026
Position: Offensive Lineman
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5 / 305 pounds
Hometown: Gastonia, North Carolina
High School: Loomis Chaffee School
While he began his high school career at Forestview High School in his hometown of Gastonia, North Carolina, Wayburn moved to Connecticut and finished it as one of fewer than 800 students at the Loomis Chaffee School, a combination boarding and day school that opened its doors in 1914.
Wayburn was a team captain for a Loomis Chaffee football team led by coach Jeff Moore. Wayburn's senior season was actually Moore's last at the school before he moved on to become UMass' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, a role he still holds at the time of this article's writing.
2. What did he do last season?
Wayburn played in 12 games for UConn last season and was its starting right guard in six of them. He finished the season with a 77.4 PFF run-blocking grade, which ranked him No. 42 overall among offensive guards and No. 12 among run-blocking tackles, according to his UCF Athletics profile page.
3. What role is he going to have in 2026?
With both UCF's starting and backup right guards graduating after last season, Wayburn looks like the favorite to take over at the position in 2026, barring a potential move inside from Preston Cushman.
Offensive line coach AJ Blazek, following an April 9 practice session, likened Wayburn to a hammer; it does not make a lot of noise, but it hits.
"He ran a lot of wide zone at UConn, which we knew he could do that, but to get him here and see how strong he is has been the impressive part," Blazek said. "So, he's a guy that, you get him and [Connor] Meadows in there, and they're gonna be able to set some edges, I think, as we go."
Even if Wayburn is not a starter, whether that is due to Cushman moving into the starting right guard role or another player emerging at the position, that strength and experience running wide zone should get him opportunities to see the field very often in 2026.
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
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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.
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