UCF Offensive Coordinator Gives Latest Update on Former Hoops Players
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Back at fall camp's start, Steve Cooper, the UCF Knights' offensive coordinator and Tight ends coach, said he was excited about his latest players coming onto the football field from the basketball court.
Cooper, who helped future NFL tight end Julius Thomas go from playing basketball to football at Portland State in 2010, said there would be "a lot of growth that will take place early on," back when camp started.
So, with eight practices under his belt when he spoke with the media on Wednesday, here is an update on the growth of both players this fall camp.
1. Dallan "Deebo" Coleman, Tight End
Cooper called former UCF guard Dallan "Deebo" Coleman the most improved player on the offense in the early stages of fall camp and said he is "pleased with the progress he's made in a very short amount of time."
"We're just trying to hone in on some of the details of the fundamentals," Cooper said. "The other layer is he's got pretty good hands. He's got soft hands, and you know, he's like a baby deer sometimes, and he would admit that, but he's making progress, and we're excited about seeing what we can get done with him in the next couple of weeks."
Sophomore tight end Kylan Fox, who said he attended a few of Coleman's UCF men's basketball games last season, said his new teammate "knows his stuff."
"Yeah, he's made big strides since he's gotten here," Fox said on Monday at UCF Player Media Day. "He provides depth to the room and just a guy that I feel like we can go out there and win. If we put him out there, we can trust him."
Based on Cooper and Fox's comments, Coleman is not in contention for the starting job alongside Fox and Wade, but he does provide trustworthy depth at the tight end position.
"It's a long season, so it's good to have depth, for sure," Cooper said.
2. Dominick Campbell, Offensive Line
When former Howard forward Dominick Campbell entered the transfer portal, 247Sports' Chris Hummer said he was open to playing tight end or offensive line. Once fall camp started, he was listed as an offensive lineman.
"Just to be really fair, the offensive line position for a guy that's been playing basketball is a whole different layer of difficulty in relationship to tight end, and believe me when I say this, it is not easy to come off the hardwood and just play tight end," Cooper said. "So, you kind of times that by 10 when it goes to the offensive line position. So, Dom is doing a tremendous job picking up our language and our systems."
Considering coach Scott Frost said after Thursday's scrimmage that the offensive line was a position group in which more of its players could be starters than was expected, it is unlikely that Campbell will carve out a substantial role right away. However, he is a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility left, so he has time to develop further, something Cooper is well aware of.
"He has a little bit of time, and excited to see where he develops in the future, but he's doing a great job," Cooper said.
Catch up on more UCF News below:
Scott Frost Felt 'Good' About UCF Knights Defense After Scrimmage
Scott Frost Gives Update On UCF Quarterback Battle After First Scrimmage
Scott Frost's Three Takeaways From UCF's First Fall Scrimmage
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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