Projected UCF EDGE Depth Chart After Malachi Lawrence Drafted in First Round
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The UCF Knights EDGE room is set for a revamp in 2026.
Not only did one of its starters, Malachi Lawrence, get selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it other primary starter, Nyjalik Kelly, is also among the hopefuls looking to get selected in the draft.
"I don't think I'm going to spend too much time comparing them to last year's guys," UCF EDGE coach Mike Dawson said of his position room. "Obviously, those two guys are special, and that's why we're looking forward to hearing their names this weekend, but the guys that we have coming into this season with this 2026 team, I'm excited about."
So, based on their previous experience and thoughts from Dawson, here is a projected depth chart for the EDGE room in 2026:
Projected Depth Chart | ||
|---|---|---|
Starters | Isaiah Nixon | Bruno Dall |
Backups | Sincere Edwards | Ken Talley |
3rd-Stringers | Aymeric Koumba | L A Jesse Harrold |
Scout Team/4th string | Quentin Hatch | Alhassan Iddrissu |
1. Starters
The two players that we are projecting to earn the Knights' starting EDGE jobs for the 2026 season are the pair of players with the most prior college football experience.
Isaiah Nixon may not have made a start yet in his collegiate career as he heads into his redshirt junior season, but he is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him play in 11 games while recording 24 tackles, 3.5 of them for a loss and a sack. Dawson said Nixon is “extremely talented” and he is “going to be really fun to watch this year.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, we are projecting Akron transfer Bruno Dall to once again hold a starting role. Last season, he earned All-MAC Third Team honors after recording 44 tackles, 8.5 of them for a loss, four sacks, an interception, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. Dawson called Dall, a native German, "gigantic" and "highly intelligent."
2. Backups
Neither Sincere Edwards nor Ken Talley played a full season in 2025, but their previous reputations still earn them a spot in Dawson’s EDGE rotation, just not as starters.
Edwards looked promising to start 2025, tallying 11 tackles, 4.5 of them for a loss and 1.5 sacks in six games. However, a Lisfranc injury ended up cutting his season short. With how long Lisfranc injuries take to recover from, the amount of playing time Edwards is going to get depends on the rehab process, and even if he can take the field for the season-opener, it is unknown if the Knights would want to give him a starting workload too soon.
As for Talley, he is coming off a season at Arkansas in which he only played in three games. Dawson praised his maturity and his "we" mentality, something that could aid him in settling into a backup role among the EDGEs. However, his experience, which includes a 10-game season with Michigan State in 2024, should lend him some snaps over the course of 2026.
3. Third-Stringers
Our projected third stringers for the Knights are a pair of players who had limited production last season.
Aymeric Koumba, the Knights’ first-ever player from France according to the UCF website, tallied one solo tackle in the nine games he played last season.
Meanwhile, L A Jesse Harrold redshirted his freshman season at Florida State after playing in just one game. He was a four-star recruit out of high school, so an impressive camp performance may earn him more playing time, but for now, his lack of college football experience puts him as a third-stringer.
4. Scout Team/Fourth Stringer
Of UCF's eight EDGEs on its spring football roster, Quentin Hatch and Alhassan Iddrissu are the most likely to go the full season without taking a snap as of spring practice.
Hatch transferred to UCF from Lake Erie College, and in three seasons with the program, he has played in just two games. While he could see the field for some snaps against Bethune-Cookman or on Senior Knight, as he is a redshirt senior, it is not going to be very much time.
As for Iddrissu, the true freshman remains on the mend from a torn patellar tendon that caused him to miss his entire senior season of high school. So, utilizing his redshirt so he can take his time rehabbing it and getting back into football shape seems like the safe move to make for both the program and Iddrissu's health.
The EDGE room still has a week of spring practice remaining, culminating in a practice open to the public at 10 a.m. on May 2.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
How UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence Fits With The Dallas Cowboys
Underrated UCF Knights Prospects Who Could Sneak Into the NFL Draft
Four-Star Guard Decommits From UCF
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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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