Spring football starts up for Knights

The Knights' outdoor practice fields were buzzing with energy over the weekend as UCF opened up its first spring football practices of the season.

 "You got [play] installation and you don't have pads on," said head coach George O'Leary on Friday. "I was just looking for assignments and alignments."

It's an important spring for the Knights, coming off the most successful season in program history. Some major changes are taking place; junior-college transfer Toby Jackson is taking over for former All-Conference USA selection and NFL Draft prospect Bruce Miller, John Skladany is calling the plays on defense instead of Dave Huxtable, and former quarterback Rob Calabrese is lining up as a wide receiver.

"Today was my first day playing wide receiver and it was hard at times," Calabrese said on Friday. "I had [wide receivers coach Dave] Kelly and some of the other receivers helping me out. The hardest thing for me is just learning the position."

Calabrese stood out to O'Leary when he made a few nice plays in drills.

"He's a good athlete,"  O'Leary said. "I think he is going to help us at that position. Plus, he can still keep his hands at the quarterback spot."

The Knights lace up their cleats on Tuesday for their first practice in full pads.

"Tuesday is when we put the pads on and I think that's when you get to break down in terms of contact and speed," O'Leary said.

Quick Hits

— Quarterback Jeff Godfrey completed two pretty deep balls on Friday: one to A.J. Guyton and the other to his former Miami Central High School teammate Josh Reese. Reese was a fixture on the scout team last year, but is expected to be in the mix more at receiver this season.

— Defensive end Troy Davis looked explosive in drills and impressed coaches. He is listed on the depth chart as a starting defensive end alongside Toby Jackson.

— Cornerback Josh Robinson had a pick-six off backup quarterback Blake Bortles Friday which made the defense erupt in loud cheers.

— Saturday's highlight of practice was an intense tug-of-war matchup between offensive and defensive players. The crowd's favorite matchup, however, was between quarterbacks and kickers. Godfrey and Bortles won.

— In one of the most important position battles of the spring, there was a field-goal kickoff between last year's shaky starter  Nick Cattoi, sophomore Jamie Boyle and walk-on Sean Galvin from Cork, Ireland.  

— Former Knights Bruce Miller, Chance Henderson, David Williams, Jah Reid and Sha'reff Rashad were on hand to watch practice. Rashad recently signed a contract with the Washington Redskins. Miller and Reid, who are prepping for the NFL Draft, will be showcasing their abilities to different NFL coaches and scouts on campus at UCF's pro day on March 23.