The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: Defensive Tackles
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UCF Knights coach Scott Frost marked the first season of his return to Orlando by bringing in nearly 70 new players, many of them from the transfer portal.
Though, how exactly did all those players fare in their first, and in some cases only, season as a Knight? Well, that is what this series is for. This transfer portal report card examines the 2025 UCF team, position group by position group, through the lens of its transfer portal additions.
Catch up with previous report cards below:
The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: Special Teams
The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: EDGEs
Next up, we examine the defensive tackles:
1. RJ Jackson Jr.
DT @RJJackson1501 is Officially a Knight ⚔️🔥 pic.twitter.com/gUz2tFyyJN
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) December 18, 2024
Transferring in from Tulsa, RJ Jackson Jr. was a regular starter on the defensive line for UCF this season alongside John Walker. He played in all 12 games, only coming off the bench once.
He recorded 33 tackles, 13 of them solo, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups. He never had a game in which he made fewer than two tackles. He was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for his efforts.
2. Rodney Lora
Rodney Lora is Officially a Knight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YKXKmZWFSs
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) May 7, 2025
After spending two seasons in North Carolina, Rodney Lora got his first taste of consistent playing time as a Knight.
The North Arlington, New Jersey, native came off the bench in all 12 of UCF's games this season. He recorded 22 total tackles, 10 of them solo, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.
His most standout performances came against North Carolina A&T, when he got six tackles, three tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, and against Oklahoma State, when he made four tackles.
3. Jeffson Lafontant
DL @jeffson55 is Officially a Knight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/A6ZQ1jwTRQ
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) April 28, 2025
Arriving from Bethune-Cookman, Jeffson Lafontant saw action in 10 games this season off the bench. He recorded 11 total tackles, two for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
His most standout performances came against Houston, when he recorded two solo tackles and a sack, and Oklahoma State, when he assisted on four tackles, including a sack.
4. Horace Lockett
Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Horace Lockett was no stranger to the injury bug. Before coming to UCF, he was recovering from a hand injury that had kept him out of the entire 2024 season. It ended up striking again this season.
Lockett was positioned as a key cog in the Knights' defensive tackle rotation entering conference play. However, during UCF's Big 12 opener against Kansas State, he tore his pectoral muscle, Frost said later, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Through four games, Lockett started one of them. He recorded 13 total tackles, eight of them solo, three tackles for a loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and two pass breakups.
He is set to enter his senior season in 2026.
Grade: C+
John Walker, who is reportedly planning to enter the transfer portal, may have been the defensive tackles' main face, but most of the rotation there this season was made up of players that defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin had to bring in from the transfer portal. So, regardless of their play, they've made an impact on volume alone.
Lockett showed promise before his injury, and Jackson Jr. getting an All-Big 12 honor did help their case. However, the Knights still finished ninth in the Big 12 in rushing defense and 15th in red zone defense.
So, this crop of defensive tackle transfers gets a just-above-average "C+."
With Walker gone next season, however, it could provide an opportunity for one of these transfers, alongside Jackson Jr., the opportunity to improve next season.
Stay tuned for more 2025 UCF Transfer Portal Report Cards.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Defensive Tackle Reportedly Entering Transfer Portal
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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