UCF Spring Practice Countdown: #15, Center Matt Lee

As spring practice closes in, a closer look at UCF Football players that can have a huge impact on the 2022 football season for the Knights, starting with Matt Lee.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Mar 1, 2022 7:42 PM EST

Orlando - There are many different ways to evaluate players on a football team. Pure talent, talent plus importance of position, talent combined with the scheme, etc. As for UCF, the following represents the first of 15 players that are vital to the Knights’ success in 2022. The complex formula that led to this is still subjective, but involves the following traits.

Talent, position, position flexibility, experience, the ability to help new players, and the ability to elevate the play of other players are all factors. Yes, it’s complex, but that is also the nature of football. Keep in mind, this is definitely not a list of the best players, in order, or anything close to it. This is about the players that need to not only have good springs individually, but will need to find a variety of ways to help the team.

With that said, we start with a returning starter along the offensive line, and one of the most stable veterans for the Knights.

Matt Lee

Position: Center

Size: 6’4”, 295-pounds

Experience: Has started 22 games for the Knights during the course of the last two seasons. Also saw action in four games in 2019 when he redshirted.

2022 Expectations

Will be up for All-AAC honors and awards beyond conference affiliation. Also a potential NFL Draft pick in the spring of 2023.

What Makes Lee Important

Experience, first and foremost. Bottom line, the ball must reach the quarterback without any snafus. No matter which quarterback(s) take snaps during a game, Lee must make them as comfortable as possible with each and every snap. Many games are lost with the quarterback-center exchange. It’s also a position where being very smart is a must.

While snapping may seem basic, there’s much more to it than many know. Go ahead, try to shotgun snap to a quarterback while a 310-pound defensive tackle is right in front of your snapping hand and ready to charge towards the gap during an obvious pass down. That leads to his strength, which he has plenty of.

That’s the life of a center in college football, and Lee has done really well in those situations by way of using his brains to help with technique just as much as he has his strength to ward off big defensive tackles.

Overall, Lee has taken on really good defensive tackles and won the wars. He’s done so while being good in pass pro and run blocking. Lee is a truly excellent football player. His role needs to extend even further now, however.

Helping Others

Lee can help set the protections, make adjustments for pass protection or make suggestions on the sidelines about run calls, double teams, etc. Regardless of the other starters, and there will be multiple new faces along the UCF offensive line so his intel is even more important than ever, Lee is someone other offensive lineman can count on to learn from and lean on when necessary.

This year’s UCF offensive line has a chance to really be good despite the new faces. Plenty of talent. Lee is in the middle of that, figuratively and literally by way of playing center. He will help the group play as one and possibly lead the Knights to a special season on the ground. With players like Isaiah Bowser, Johnny Richardson and Mark Antony-Richards all returning to the backfield among others, there’s a legitimate chance to rush for well over 200 yards per game and lead the AAC in team rushing yards per contest.

If that does transpire, rest assured that the big plays will come much easier for receivers like Jaylon Robinson, Amari Johnson, Kobe Hudson, and Ryan O’Keefe as well. Do not forget about the tight ends like Kemore Gamble and Alec Holler either.

Every time that Lee makes a line call change, helps another offensive lineman with his assignment, or makes a fantastic block, he’s also helping his teammates be better. That's the bottom line.

Next up: Wednesday will be a look at one of UCF’s most explosive playmakers.

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