UCF's Special Teams Steal The Show In First Fall Scrimmage

UCF Knights coach Scott Frost highlighted his kickers following the team's first fall scrimmage on Thursday.

Frost said the kickers and punters were a "bright spot" of Thursday's scrimmage, commending Pete Alamar, the Knights' special teams coordinator, for rebuilding the Knights' special teams unit.

"I'm glad Pete Alamar is here," Frost said. "He loves special teams; has been really good at it for a long time."

Senior kicker Noe Ruelas shares similar sentiments.

"[Alamar] has a lot of knowledge, and he wants to pass that on," Ruelas said on Player Media Day last Monday. "He's just trying his best to put us in a position to succeed and help us reach our goals and aspirations."

Ruelas is coming off a season against James Madison in which he converted on 16 of 20 field goal attempts and went 14 of 15 inside 50 yards. His career long is a 54-yarder he hit for UConn in 2022, though he is currently 3 of 7 on his career for field goals longer than 50 yards. He said staying consistent and "trusting his swing" has been a big part of his work on kicks from that distance.

"That's something that we're working on, and getting more detailed with that," Ruelas said. "So, I think right now we're in a good spot, but there's always room to improve."

Ruelas said UCF attracted him from the transfer portal not just because of its coaching staff, but also with the presence of former BYU long snapper Dalton Riggs.

"Knowing that he's a talented guy that can do his job at a high level was very important," Ruelas said. "I wanted to go somewhere where, you know, the specialist can do their jobs at a high level, and have proven that they can do that.

Special teams are not only kickers and snappers, however. While he praised the team's kickers' performance during the scrimmage, Frost noted that the special team's coverage units, the non-kicking players on the field during special teams plays, "could be a little better."

Even before the scrimmage, during Player Media Day, defensive back Phillip Dunnam said the team needs to take special teams "a little more serious."

I feel like the offensive and the defensive side of the ball got a great level of competition going on right now throughout these practices, but we tend to take a step back during special teams sometimes, and I feel like just being more serious about that, you know, that'll help us," Dunnam said.

The Knights, specialists and non-specialists alike, still have a few weeks to hone their technique before their season-opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

UCF Counting On Newcomers To Fix Special Teams Woes

UCF Offensive Coordinator Gives Latest Update On Tight End Competition

Scott Frost Felt 'Good' About UCF Knights Defense After Scrimmage