Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 73 Henry Tabansi
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.
So, with 73 days to go, let's meet one of UCF's new offensive lineman: Henry Tabansi.
1. Who is Henry Tabansi?
Position: Offensive Lineman
Class: Redshirt Junior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5 / 306 pounds
Hometown: Staten Island, New York
High School: Moore Catholic High School
Originally from Nigeria, Tabansi discovered football after immigrating to Staten Island in the sixth grade.
"During recess, we played seven-on-seven a lot," Tabansi said following an April 9 practice session. "So, I knew going into high school I wanted to be some sort of athlete, so I played basketball and football, but football was really my calling, because I was more natural at that and I felt more comfortable playing on O-line, so I took that and ran with it."
While UCF offensive line coach AJ Blazek described Tabansi as a "funny guy," he also "keeps a lot in," and that he becomes "a different guy" when he puts on shoulder pads.
"Honestly, once I get on the field, I don't like to talk too much," Tabansi said. "I just... I'm going straight to business because I feel like talking gets me out of my headspace. So, once you put pads on, it was just sprint, sprint to hit, sprint to hit, sprint to hit."
2. What did he do last season?
Tabansi served as Buffalo's starting left tackle for all 12 of the Bulls' games last season. According to his UCF Athletics profile page, he had the third-highest PFSN grade in the MAC at 75.3. The Bulls went on to finish in the top five in the league in total offense and scoring offense.
3. What role is he going to have in 2026?
Blazek said he has seen Tabansi's "physicality come out" since he's put pads on. However, he is not the only player vying to be the Knights' starting left tackle. The other candidate for the role is returning senior Owen Spell, who played in all 12 games for the Knights in 2025 and started two of them at left tackle.
While Tabansi does have the advantage of more playing time at a Division I school, being Buffalo's starting left tackle for two years, Spell, who transferred in from Limestone, a Division II program, before the 2025 season, has more experience in a UCF uniform.
Blazek called the starting left tackle battle "pretty good," since Spell has been "having a good spring." However, he also said he put Spell as an offensive guard the previous couple of days.
Based on this information, Tabansi seems to have the upper hand on the starting role as of spring practice. However, there are still months to go before the Knights' first kickoff, in which this could change. So, while Tabansi is looking likely to have a regular role on UCF's offensive line in 2026, it remains to be determined whether it is going to be as a starter or backup.
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
No. 97 Josh Schell and Mason Denaberg
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