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Thirty years ago, UCF's football program made the first of several significant leaps, joining the Football Bowl Subdivision then known as Division I-A as an independent.
The Golden Knights , later shortened to Knights in 2007, eventually bounced between four conferences in the span of those three decades.
They joined the Mid-American Conference during its early 2000s heyday, won championships in both Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference and gained power-conference status with its 2023 transition into the Big 12.
UCF is still seeking to find its football footing in the Big 12, going 7-20 against league opponents over its first three campaigns.
In total, UCF sports a 207-162 record as an FBS program (.561 winning percentage) with 15 bowl appearances, spending 54 weeks ranked in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll.
Of course, that includes a 25-game winning streak stretching nearly two full years (2017-18), during which the NCAA's Colley Matrix rating system declared the Knights as national champion one of four instances in which its selection did not win the BCS or College Football Playoff title.
To celebrate the Knights' predominantly proud history to this point, The News-Journal set out to build a team comprised of the program's best players 105 of them to be exact, matching modern roster construction.
In doing so, it consulted the opinions of several former players, coaches and media members who have covered the team for various outlets.
Starters for each position group are italicized.
Incoming transfers are eligible to make the list, as are players who did not finish their college careers with the Knights as the portal becomes more appealing and lucrative with each passing year.
Without further ado, here are the selections.
UCF football All-Football Bowl Subdivision team Quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper McKenzie Milton Blake Bortles Ryan Schneider Dillon Gabriel Culpepper transformed the program and put it on the national map in the late '90s, becoming the first NFL first-round pick in UCF history.
Milton orchestrated the Knights' best season ever and might be the most popular player to suit up for the Knights.
They finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in Heisman Trophy voting nearly two decades apart.
Bortles, from nearby Oviedo, guided UCF to its first New Year's Six Bowl win, a 52-42 upset of Baylor , and went third overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014.
Schneider topped 10,000 career passing yards in the MAC era, and Gabriel is the most efficient QB in program history with 70 touchdowns and just 14 picks.
Running backs Kevin Smith RJ Harvey Latavius Murray Alex Haynes Greg McCrae Storm Johnson Adrian Killins Jr.
Otis Anderson Eighth in Heisman Trophy voting back in 2007, Smith holds UCF's all-time rushing lead by a whopping 887 yards over Harvey, though the latter surpassed him for the career touchdown mark (48).
Harvey, a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos last year, earned All-Big 12 first-team honors in his final year.
Murray found the end zone for 37 rushing TDs between 2008-12, and then enjoyed a decade-long career in the NFL.
Haynes is just one of four Knights to top the 3,000-yard rushing mark; McCrae sits in fifth place at 2,620 yards after joining the squad as a preferred walk-on.
Johnson played two years with UCF after transferring from Miami, but his 1,139 yards and 14 TDs were critical in complementing Bortles and prevailing in the Fiesta Bowl.
Killins embodied the UCFast offensive shift with his track speed with 2,459 rushing yards and the longest run from scrimmage (96 yards) in school history.
The late Anderson averaged 6.1 yards per carry, second-best among UCF ball-carriers, compiled 3,708 all-purpose yards and scored 27 touchdowns.
Wide receivers Brandon Marshall Mike Sims-Walker Tre'Quan Smith Gabe Davis Siaha Burley Breshad Perriman JJ Worton Mark Nonsant Javon Baker Doug Gabriel Jimmy Fryzel Marlon Williams Marshall sits outside the top 10 in UCF's all-time receiving yards chart, but he is arguably the most successful of the Knights' NFL alumni with six trips to the Pro Bowl.
Smith and Sims-Walker, however, rank third and fourth; both are over 2,500 yards.
No player has more TD catches in UCF's FBS era than Sanford native Davis (23), who set a single-season record with 1,241 receiving yards.
Burley is the only UCF receiver in the last three decades to record multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
Nonsant similarly produced consistent numbers as a top target for Culpepper, turning 173 receptions into 2,475 yards and 15 TDs.
Worton (one-handed TD catch at Temple) and Perriman (Hail Mary at East Carolina) produced magic moments between 2013-14, and the latter is one of UCF's five first-round picks.
Baker made the All-Big 12 first team with 1,139 yards and seven TDs in 2023.
Gabriel and Fryzel form the top single-season receiving tandem in Knights history (2,363 yards in '02).
Williams holds top-10 school marks across the board, boosted by an incredible eight-game senior season in '20 (71 catches, 1,039 yards, 10 TDs).
Tight ends Jordan Akins Darcy Johnson Mike Merritt Michael Gaines Alec Holler Dylan Wade Akins left a career in professional baseball and became a weapon up the seam for UCF in Scott Frost's first tenure, catching 81 balls for 1,149 yards and eight scores.
Johnson, like receivers Marshall and Sims-Walker, picked up All-CUSA honors in 2005; he also won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants two years later.
The late Merritt made more contributions as a blocker, particularly in Smith's historic '07 campaign.
Gaines had 22 receptions for 306 yards and three TDs in 23 games for the Knights before embarking on a seven-year NFL career.
Holler spent six seasons with the Knights, hauling in a game-winning touchdown in the last War on I-4.
Wade is the only active UCF player on the list, but he earned his spot with a single-season high mark for the position of five TD receptions in 2025.
Offensive tackles Cornell Green Jah Reid Steve Edwards Amari Kight Tylan Grable Aaron Evans Wyatt Miller Torrian Wilson Samuel Jackson A four-year starter, Green protected Culpepper's blind side, played 94 NFL games and won a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.
Two-time All-CUSA selection Reid is the highest-drafted UCF offensive lineman ever, going 85th overall to Kansas City in 2011.
Nicknamed "Big Steve," Edwards shined up front for the Knights during their FBS independent days and spent five years in the NFL.
Kight, a freshly minted world champion with the Seattle Seahawks, was a two-year impact starter after arriving from Alabama.
The same can be said of Grable, a converted tight end who transferred from Jacksonville State.
Evans, whose painted Knightro mural adorns the wall at the Acrisure Bounce House, started 36 straight games at left tackle from 2015-17.
Miller tallied 47 starts and bookended Evans at right tackle during UCF's undefeated Peach Bowl campaign.
Wilson, a highly coveted recruit at Miami Northwestern, made a pair of all-conference second teams.
Jackson started parts of six seasons for UCF under three separate coaching staffs, garnering All-AAC second-team accolades in 2022.
Guards Josh Sitton Justin McCray Jordan McCray Marcus Jenkins Ryan Gillis Cole Schneider Lokahi Pauole Nick Pieschel One of the first two players to appear in 50 games for UCF, Sitton paved the way for a then-record 3,287 rushing yards and 501 points in 2007.
He made four Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl as a starter for the Green Bay Packers.
The McCray twins started 60 games alongside one another and made the All-AAC team as seniors in '13.
Jenkins and Gillis protected Culpepper against plenty of top-25 opposition, and the latter gained a sixth year of NCAA eligibility after overcoming melanoma and having a baseball-sized tumor removed from his shoulder.
Schneider started 47 of 49 games after redshirting in '17 and garnered All-AAC nominations four times.
Pauole started 48 of 57 games, scooped up a pair of All-AAC first-team honors and was one of six captains in UCF's inaugural Big 12 season.
Pieschel started at every position other than center between 2008-11, earning an All-CUSA second-team spot as a redshirt senior.
Centers Jordan Johnson Chris Lorenti Mike Mabry Cedric Gagne-Marcoux Matt Lee Two-time All-AAC selection Johnson anchored the Knights' offensive line for its most successful two-year period ever.
Daytona Beach native Lorenti anchored the line for 44 starts, including Culpepper's historic '98 campaign.
Mabry made 23 straight starts for UCF after arriving from Southwest Mississippi Community College and was a seventh-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2003.
Quebec native Gagne-Marcoux made the All-CUSA first team in '05, was ranked No.
11 among all FBS centers by The Sporting News and won a Grey Cup for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts as a pro.
Lee might be a controversial choice given that he finished his college career at Miami, but the Oviedo native was a quality three-year starter and All-AAC regular.
Defensive ends Bruce Miller Malachi Lawrence Elton Patterson Paul Carrington Tre'Mon Morris-Brash Jermaine Benoit Jarvis Geathers Brendon Hayes Nyjalik Kelly Miller, who later carved out a niche as a fullback for Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers, still holds UCF's career sacks record with 3512.
Lawrence played all five seasons for UCF in the most transient era in college football history, totaled 20 sacks and developed into both an All-Big 12 pass-rusher and a first-round NFL draft pick.
Carrington led CUSA with nine sacks in '05 and amassed 139 tackles in 46 games.
Patterson (3012), Benoit (2812) and Morris-Brash (26) rank fourth, fifth and sixth all-time in sacks.
Former JUCO transfer Geathers had 11 sacks in his all-CUSA first-team campaign in 2009.
Hayes was an integral piece of the Knights' unbeaten run in '17 and '18, and he earned back-to-back All-AAC second-team honors.
Kelly overcame shoulder injuries at Miami, totaling 1212 sacks and starting all but one game across two seasons.
Defensive tackles Torell Troup Jamiyus Pittman Ricky Barber Lee Hunter Keith Shologan Leger Douzable Josh McKibben Justen Moore Trysten Hill Kalia Davis Troup captained the Knights in 2009 and recorded 24 of his 105 career tackles for loss.
Pittman made 33 starts from 2014-17, notching 42 tackles, six TFLs, three sacks and six QB hurries in his All-AAC first-team senior season.
Barber followed position coach Kenny Martin down from Western Kentucky and was a four-year stalwart with 2212 TFLs and 10 sacks.
Hunter blossomed after transferring from Auburn, tallying 2012 TFLs and four sacks in 23 starts between 2023-24 before being lured to Texas Tech.
Shologan, an Edmonton native, started all four years (2004-07) and gained All-CUSA second-team recognition before a nearly decade-long run in the CFL.
Eight-year NFL veteran Douzable split time on the edge and the interior, totaling 14 sacks 312 alone in a 2006 loss to East Carolina.
Moore could also play off the edge, and he has the sixth-most TFLs (4712) in UCF history.
McKibben ranks 10th all-time for UCF with 34 TFLs, adding three forced fumbles in 1999.
Hill might not always have been a full-time starter, but he flashed dominance, especially during a two-sack AAC championship performance against Memphis in '18.
Injuries and a COVID opt-out interrupted Davis' tenure in Orlando, but he had eight TFLs and three sacks as a sophomore in '19.
Linebackers Shaquem Griffin Terrance Plummer Tito Rodriguez Nakia Reddick Nate Evans Tatum Bethune Jason Johnson Chequan Burkett Perhaps the most influential figure in UCF history, Griffin, born with amniotic band sequence that forced the amputation of his left hand, defied the odds to win the AAC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and earn a place in the school's Athletics Hall of Fame.
Plummer recorded 334 tackles in his illustrious career, highlighted by Defensive MVP honors of the 2014 Fiesta Bowl.
Rodriguez was a tackling machine at the turn of the century, tying a single-game school record (23) in a November 2001 loss to Arkansas and finishing that season with an FBS-era record 143 stops.
While most of Reddick's career took place at the I-AA level, he ushered the Knights' modern era with 118 tackles and four forced fumbles in '96.
Evans had 211 tackles in 2018-19, adding a 94-yard touchdown off a fumble recovery against East Carolina.
Bethune eventually reunited with Randy Shannon at Florida State, but his '21 junior campaign (108 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions) offered a glimpse of his NFL potential.
Johnson surpassed the century mark in tackles twice after transferring from Eastern Illinois, chosen All-AAC first-team in '23 and All-Big 12 second team in '24.
Burkett totaled 223 tackles, 1812 TFLs and six sacks in five years, adding the most important pick-six in UCF history to clinch the Peach Bowl win over Auburn.
Cornerbacks Joe Burnett Asante Samuel Mike Hughes Travis Fisher Josh Robinson Shaquill Griffin Jacoby Glenn AJ Bouye Paul Miranda BJ Adams Pound-for-pound, this might be UCF's strongest position group over the past three decades; seven of the 10 players chosen were NFL draft picks.
Also an electrifying return man, Burnett snagged a school-record 16 interceptions and broke up 35 passes.
Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler, has the most PBUs (38) in addition to eight picks.
Hughes garnered All-American honors from Phil Steele and the FWAA in his lone season at UCF, registering 11 PBUs, four picks and a game-winning kick return touchdown against South Florida.
Robinson (36), Fisher (31) and Griffin (29), who combined to play 291 NFL games, are all among the Knights' top-10 in PBUs.
Glenn became the program's first AP All-American in 23 years following the '14 season, picking off seven passes with 11 breakups.
Bouye returned from a 2011 injury to make the All-CUSA second team and play 110 games in the league as an undrafted free agent.
Miranda still holds the career record for kick return average (33.3 yards), adding 56 tackles, two picks and six PBUs in 1998.
Adams played 48 times for UCF, including 29 starts, and had both of his interceptions as a senior.
Safeties Richie Grant Clayton Geathers Kemal Ishmael Atari Bigby Sha'reff Rashad Kyle Gibson Brandon Alexander Damian Demps A two-star recruit out of Choctawhatchee High in Fort Walton Beach, Grant started 33 games for the Knights, generated 13 turnovers and made the All-AAC first team for three consecutive seasons before being selected 40th overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
No player during the Knights' FBS era has more tackles than Geathers (383), who also broke up 30 passes and snagged three picks.
Ishmael, another former Atlanta Falcon, sits right behind Geathers on the tackle leaderboard (368), and he's top-10 all-time in fumble recoveries and forced fumbles (six apiece).
Bigby twice surpassed the 100-tackle mark and earned all-conference honors in the MAC before enjoying an eight-year NFL career, including a Super Bowl win in Green Bay.
Rashad produced a pair of multi-interception games in '08, and exited UCF with 14 picks second only to Burnett.
Gibson, the No.
19 ranked recruit in UCF history by 247Sports, played 47 games in four years and was an All-AAC first team pick during the undefeated '17 season with four picks and four PBUs.
A two-time nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation's most outstanding player who began as a walk-on, Orlando native Alexander moved to free safety before his junior year and had six interceptions across 2013-14, including a pivotal one against Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl.
Demps collected seven picks in his four-year career and delivered 22 of his 107 tackles in the 2000 season during UCF's famous upset at Alabama.
Kickers Matthew Wright Shawn Moffitt An NFL journeyman who has suited up for eight franchises, Wright's 375 points, 55 made field goals and 77.5% accuracy are best all-time among UCF placekickers.
Moffitt is not far behind, posting 314 points, 53 field goals and a 76.8% mark.
Punters Matt Prater Mitch McCarthy Prater holds the NFL record for most field goals from 50+ yards, but he also handled punting duties at UCF.
He tops the all-time charts at 47.6 yards per attempt, including a career-long 74-yard boot in '03.
Australian-born McCarthy is No.
2 in punting average (43 yards), taking over responsibilities in '22 and eventually winning a national championship at Indiana this past January.
Long snapper Alex Ward Ward was twice named a finalist for the Mannelly Award, given to the nation's top long snapper, and invied to both the Reese's Senior Bowl and the NFL scouting combine.
He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in January after a three-year run with the Los Angeles Rams.
Return specialists Quincy McDuffie Rannell Hall McDuffie has held UCF's career record for kick return touchdowns (six) for the last 14 years, tying an NCAA single-game record with a pair against Marshall on Oct.
27, 2012.
Hall accumulated 4,398 all-purpose yards as a Knight, producing the fifth-best return average (25.4 yards) on 82 kickoffs.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Who are best UCF football players of last 30 years? Heres our 105-man roster.