Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 61 Owen Spell
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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 61 days to go, let's meet UCF's offensive lineman Owen Spell:
1. Who is Owen Spell?
Position: Offensive Lineman
Class: Senior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-8 / 305 pounds
Hometown: Jesup, Georgia
High School: Wayne County High School
Spell is back for his second season in Orlando after transferring in from a school that is no longer in operation.
Two weeks after Spell's announcement that he was entering the transfer portal, Limestone University announced its closure, marking the end of its Division II football program after an 11-season existence. Spell played in 10 games in what became the school's final football season in 2024.
2. What did he do last season?
Spell spent the majority of the 2025 season as the backup left tackle behind Paul Rubelt. However, he still saw action in all 12 of the Knights' games at both left and right tackle. He even earned two starts at left tackle.
3. What role is he going to have in 2026?
Spell getting a starting role on the offensive line in 2026 is not a certainty. Preston Cushman, who started at right tackle last season, is back, along with his backup, Connor Meadows, and new transfers like Henry Tabansi, who was the starting left tackle for Buffalo last season, and Tyler Gibson, who earned Charlotte's starting right tackle job during last season, making offensive tackle a crowded room with college football experience.
However, that's not to say that Spell cannot be a starter, since offensive line coach AJ Blazek said he was having a good spring and has helped push Tabansi in practice. Plus, with fewer new transfer arrivals that play at guard, Spell's versatility could help him earn an opportunity there.
Following an April 9 practice session, Blazek said he had used Spell as a guard the previous couple of days. So, depending on how that experiment turns out, Spell could either be shifted to become a guard and start there or become an even more versatile backup that can sub in at either tackle or guard.
"If kids know there's an opportunity, they show up every day because it might be theirs," Blazek said.
Whether Spell is a starter or a versatile backup in 2026, he is looking at another full season of work in his second year in a UCF uniform.
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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