UCF Reportedly Adds Linebacker In Transfer Portal
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The UCF Knights are reportedly adding linebacker Tackett Curtis from the transfer portal, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer on Monday night.
UCF has signed Wisconsin linebacker transfer Tackett Curtis, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 6, 2026
Curtis, a former top 110 overall recruit who began his career at USC, has 92 career tackles. pic.twitter.com/ng5funa0uL
Curtis is coming off his second season at Wisconsin, in which he played in 11 games, starting the first seven of them. He recorded 29 tackles, 15 of them solo, a sack and a pass defended.
The move reunites Curtis with UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, whom he played under first at USC in 2023 and then followed him to Wisconsin in 2024. This past season was his first not playing under a Grinch-led defense.
Curtis marks the third time this offseason the Knights have added someone with a history with Grinch, though he is the first player, since the other two were UCF's new coaching hires: offensive line coach AJ Blazek and defensive backs coach Will Johnson.
In his freshman season under Grinch at USC, Curtis made 40 tackles, 24 of them solo, four tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. He also recovered two fumbles.
Upon moving to Wisconsin with Grinch in 2024, Curtis recorded a season similar to the one he had in the following year, recording 27 tackles, 17 of which were solo, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
The addition marks the first linebacker the Knights have added from the transfer portal this offseason and the seventh overall. UCF lost four linebackers, TJ Bullard, Troy Ford Jr., Kam Moore and Malakhi Boone, to the transfer portal, and three more, Cole Kozlowski, Keli Lawson and Jayden McDonald, ran out of eligibility. This left just rising senior Lewis Carter, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, and rising junior Phil Picciotti with the team as of Monday night.
Curtis' addition brings the current population of the linebacker room for 2026 to five players, as in addition to Carter and Picciotti, UCF also signed two linebackers back in December as part of its early signing day class: Matthew Occhipinti and Preston Hall.
In order to get back to the nine linebackers they had this past season, the Knights, Grinch and linebackers coach Mark D'Onofrio need to add four more players.
The transfer portal closes on Jan. 16.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Defensive Tackle Withdraws From 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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