UCF football transfer tracker: 3 Knights enter the portal

The 15-day spring entrance window for the NCAA transfer portal opened on April 15, and for the first four days there was little to no movement for UCF football.

On the fifth day, however, things quickly changed as three Knights departed the program and transferred.

Keep up with the latest news below:

The Lakeland product is the second signee from the 2022 recruiting class — Malzahn’s first full class at UCF — to transfer after just one season.

“Thank you UCF and with that being said, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with four years of eligibility,” he wrote on social media.

Vitals: 6-3, 255 pounds

Resume: A standout at Lakeland High School, Thompson was the third-highest-rated high school prospect to sign with the Knights in the 2022 recruiting cycle. After recording 65 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries as a senior in 2021, Thompson ranked as the No. 60 overall recruit in the state of Florida and a top-500 prospect nationally during his recruitment, according to the 247Sports Composite, which combines rankings listed by major recruiting services.

Role: Thompson appeared in one game as a true freshman and recorded a tackle in the solo appearance. Taking a redshirt, he went through his first season of college on the bench.

Outlook: When Thompson committed and eventually signed with the Knights, it was seen as a major win for Malzahn on the recruiting trail and rightfully so. Thompson took official visits to UCF, Miami and Texas before choosing the Knights. Although he was originally considered to be a part of the future on UCF’s defense, those plans have changed and Thompson departs with four seasons of eligibility to use at his next school. As for the Knights, they might already have his replacement on the roster. This past recruiting cycle, UCF signed top edge rushers Isaiah Nixon and Kaven Call from in-state schools as well as Troy Ford Jr. from Georgia.

Mort announced on Twitter that he is entering the portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

“I want to take this time to thank the UCF staff for giving me the opportunity to play ball,” Mort wrote on social media. “I’m grateful to have built relationships that I did. I’m going to miss this place and the electric fan base. This decision was not easy but it’s best for my future and development.”

Vitals: 6-6, 290 pounds

Resume: The Venice native was part of the recruiting class in between former UCF coach Josh Heupel and Gus Malzahn. Signing early with the Knights in December 2020, Mort arrived to campus the following summer. At Venice High School, he played offensive guard and tackle and helped his team go 10-4 overall as a senior.

Role: Mort never saw the field in his two seasons at UCF. He took a redshirt his first year while spending time with the scout team. He continued to work with the scout team last season.

Outlook: The loss of Mort won’t hurt UCF’s rotation on the offensive line. The Knights added key pieces to the O-line from the transfer portal such as Marcellus Marshall (Kent State) and Amari Kight (Alabama) ahead of the spring and signed two high school offensive linemen this past recruiting cycle in Johnathan Cline and Keyon Cox. It was clear Mort wasn’t part of UCF’s plans.

Castellanos became the first UCF player to announce their intentions to transfer following the completion of spring football practice. The sophomore was the first quarterback to sign with Gus Malzahn after he arrived in 2021.

Vitals: 6-0, 190 pounds

Resume: A native of Waycross, Ga., was a four-year quarterback starter in high school who threw for 7,710 career yards and ran for 3,681 more at Ware County. He signed with UCF during the 2021 recruiting cycle and enrolled early last spring.

Role: Castellanos served as the third-string quarterback during his freshman season and the plan was to maintain his redshirt. That quickly changed, however, as he saw limited action in the AAC championship last year at Tulane after already appearing in four games. Castellanos completed 9 passes for 75 yards and ran 14 times for 120 yards and 1 touchdown and entered this year’s spring practice as the backup to incumbent starter John Rhys Plumlee.

[ UCF loses QB Thomas Castellanos to NCAA spring transfer portal ]

Outlook: It’s unclear what led to Castellanos’ decision to transfer. After the UCF spring game, he acknowledged that even if he wasn’t going to be the program’s starting quarterback he was the future at the important position. With Castellanos gone, that leaves UCF with two quarterbacks on scholarship: Plulmee and USF transfer Timmy McClain. The Knights also have 2023 signee Dylan Rizk set to arrive over the summer and 2024 Bartram Trail quarterback Riley Trujilo orally committed. With that said, it seems more than likely that UCF will turn to the portal to add an experienced quarterback to the room entering the Big 12 due to the departure of Castellanos as well as Plumlee only having one year of eligibility remaining.

Middle Tennessee State defensive back Decorian Patterson on social media that he’s transferring to UCF this summer.

The veteran cornerback is the first transfer portal commitment the Knights have received this spring after announcing the addition of 10 transfers following the winter portal window.

Middle Tennessee cornerback Decorian Patterson announced on social media Thursday that he's transferring to UCF. (Wade Payne/AP)

In addition to visiting UCF, Patterson made an official visit to Oregon State before choosing the Knights.

Patterson’s transfer won’t become official until he enrolls and attends class at UCF later this year but by orally committing to the Knights a return home is in the making.

Vitals: 6-0, 193 pounds

Resume: A native of Ocala, Patterson attended Leesburg High School before heading off to Middle Tennessee State. A two-sport athlete in high school, he also played basketball for the Yellow Jackets.

Role: After taking a redshirt his freshman year in 2018, Patterson appeared in all 12 games the following season. During a shortened 2020 season, he started eight games and finished tied for fifth on the team with 43 total tackles. After playing in 13 more games the next year, Patterson had a breakout season in 2022. He led the nation and Conference USA with 7 interceptions while finishing the season fourth on the team with 65 total tackles to go with 12 pass breakups and a blocked kick.

Fit: UCF lost cornerback Davonte Brown to the transfer portal at the end of the last season and missed on Texas A&M cornerback transfer Brian George, who ended up at Houston. The Knights also already added CB Fred Davis from Clemson and CB Ja’Maric Morris from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College ahead of spring practice. Still, UCF must feel that more help is needed at cornerback by adding Patterson. The redshirt senior provides a ton of experience to the secondary and will use his final year of eligibility with the Knights in the Big 12 Conference. Patterson has played in 46 games throughout college and has recorded 9 career interceptions.

Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.