Three UCF Defensive Players To Watch In 2025

Oct 28, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (4) is tackled by UCF Knights defensive back Demari Henderson (8) during the second half at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For the struggles that UCF had during its tumultuous 2024 season, its defensive unit still performed well compared to the rest of the Big 12.

The Knights finished fourth in the league in yards allowed per game and even led the Big 12 in rushing yards allowed. Is this something that UCF coach Scott Frost and incoming defensive coordinator Alex Grinch can keep up in 2025? Could other areas of the defense improve?

Here are three UCF defenders, one from each position group, to watch that could prove crucial to that happening:

1. Defensive Line: John Walker

Walker was a sensation among the freshmen in 2023. He was named to On3's Defensive True Freshman All-American Team and was an honorable mention for the Big 12's Defensive Freshman of the Year award. However, he did not get a chance to follow up on it with a lower body injury sidelining him for all of 2024. This season, Walker is back healthy and in position to become a regular starter.

2. Linebacker: Cole Kozlowski

A transfer from Colgate, Cole Kozlowski is coming off a dominant 2024 season in which he recorded 133 tackles, 66 of them solo, eight tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks and six passes broken up on his way to getting named 1st Team All-Patriot League. Other linebackers like Keli Lawson and Lewis Carter may have P4-level experience, but they were not starters and therefore did not get as much playing time as someone like Cozlowski. Even if Cozlowski is not a starter, his ability to serve as a reliable player off the bench could come in handy in certain situations.

3. Secondary: Demari Henderson

Despite seven new defensive backs arriving via the transfer portal, Henderson is another 2023 freshman sensation that will get the chance to return with a vengeance in 2025. The safety missed all of 2024 due to a preseason camp injury after getting named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2023. In a defense that finished fourth-worst in the Big 12 in interceptions in 2024, no Knight matched Henderson's three from 2023.

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