For all the attention brought to returning stars like Duane Thomas, Waden Charles, and DayDay Farmer, there’s a new face that has turned heads at spring practice — Monmouth transfer Josh Derry.
Wide Receiver and Associate Head Coach Sean Beckton delivered a glowing review of the senior this past Saturday. “A guy like Josh Derry has shown he can make every play down the field, in the core. He can run routes inside and outside, and also he can give us that vertical threat down the field.”
On top of possessing complete traits that one hopes to see in a top receiver, Derry has impressed in practice making big-time catches in practice early on.
“He’s made some plays that I didn’t even know he had from when we initially recruited him,” said Beckton.
When asked what the key to his seamless integration into the offense was, Derry made it seem simple. “I would say just play my game. Obviously, going into my last year, football is the same whatever level you play on. Come out here and play the game you’ve been playing since you were a kid, and just take advantage of each day and have fun with it.”
Last year, the Maryland native recorded 73 catches for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Hawks.
If Derry can put up those kinds of numbers in 2026, the Knights could have the opportunity to increase their explosiveness on offense significantly. That kind of improvement could get UCF back to a bowl game for the first time in head coach Scott Frost’s second tenure.
