The 2026 NFL Draft is taking place, and Knight Nation is wondering where Nyjalik Kelly will end up after seeing Malachi Lawrence get selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round. As much as defensive edge coach Mike Dawson is excited to see where his guys get picked, fans may wonder how UCF has reloaded at that position.
Losing bookend starters at defensive end is a unique challenge for any coach. But when asked what was different in practice this year, having to reload, Dawson had surprising confidence.
“Truthfully, it’s gonna be a little similar because we were the new piece last year as coaches, so it was kind of a reload for those guys,” he said. “And now for me it’s a little bit more of a mixture; it’s closer to half and half with the guys going through the rotation and the guys who’ve been playing adding, obviously, a few new pieces to it. . . for me it’s like we have a little more experience than what I would have said halfway through last spring.”
Who is next?
Some of the experienced fans point to guys that Knight fans are most anticipated to see come back in Sincere Edwards and Isaiah Nixon.
As a rotational player, Nixon recorded 24 tackles with 11 solo and 3.5 for a loss as well as a sack, playing in 12 games.
Edwards recorded 11 tackles in only 6 games, with four solo and 4.5 for a loss, as well as 1.5 sacks. He is still highly touted despite time missed in spring practices as he works to rehab from a Lisfranc fracture he suffered in his foot last year.
As a pair of juniors (Nixon as a redshirt), there’s still a wealth of players with experience on the squad. The roster also features two additional redshirt juniors and two redshirt seniors.
One of the redshirt seniors, Penn State transfer Ken Tally, believes his role isn’t just to contribute to Dawson’s rotation but to serve as a mentor as well.
“I feel like right now, I’m an older guy, so when I come in, I’m here to help younger guys get up to speed. I know a lot of football, honestly, so it’s helping guys train with plays and different techniques. . .”, said Tally
As with head coach Scott Frost and the offense, it would appear that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is also relying on experience to address gaps left by departing talent, helping newcomers transition.
