UCF football transfer tracker: LB Branden Jennings enters the portal

The 15-day spring entrance window for the NCAA transfer portal closes on Monday and so far at least five UCF football players have departed the program and transferred.

Help is on the way, however, as the Knights have received two oral commitments from players in the portal. Transfers won’t become official until they enroll and attend class at UCF later this year.

Keep up with the latest news below:

The Jacksonville native entered his name in the portal for the third time in his career Thursday night, according to 247Sports.

Vitals: 6-3, 226 pounds

Resume: A 4-star prospect out of Sandalwood High School in the 2021 cycle, Jennings enrolled early at Maryland and spent one season with the Terps before transferring to Kansas State. That stint didn’t last long either as Jennings transferred out after one semester and headed to UCF for the 2022 season.

Role: Jennings appeared in the first four games with the Knights before taking a redshirt to sit out the rest of the year. He recorded 3 tackles.

Outlook: Despite linebacker being a major need for UCF, it’s clear Jennings was no longer part of the plans. The Knights added Georgia transfer linebacker Rian Davis from the portal earlier this week and it seems likely they’ll add another before the summer is complete. Veteran Jason Johnson and last year’s portal add Walter Yates are the lone linebackers with serious experience on the roster. The Knights also have sophomore Kam Moore who appeared in nine games as a freshman last season. Jennings will now look for his fourth college in three years as he enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

The Gainesville native is the fourth member of UCF’s 2022 recruiting class to enter the transfer portal, joining quarterback Thomas Castellanos, defensive lineman Keahnist Thompson and offensive lineman Miguel Maldonado.

“Thank you Knight Nation,” Lee wrote on social media. “I loved every single moment with you all. The love and support is something I’ll never forget.”

Vitals: 6-0, 175 pounds

Resume: Lee attended Buchholz and finished his high school career as Alachua County’s leading all-time receiver with nearly 3,000 receiving yards. A 3-star prospect, he ranked as the No. 65 receiver in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite which combines prospect rankings listed by major recruiting services.

Role: Lee failed to crack the receiver depth chart as a freshman and didn’t see the field last season.

Outlook: Lee was the second-highest rated high school prospect to sign with the Knights in 2022. Although he didn’t see the field his first season in Orlando, he was considered to be part of the future in the receiver room while he waited his turn to eventually play. At one point in his high school recruiting process, he was committed to the University of Miami before ending up at UCF. For the Knights, it’s an opportunity to add a scholarship wide receiver from the transfer portal to fill his spot. For Lee, it’s a chance at a new start elsewhere with four years of eligibility remaining.

The Apopka native became the second portal prospect to pledge to the Knights, joining Middle Tennessee State cornerback Decorian Patterson. Davis announced his decision on social media following a visit to UCF over the weekend.

Vitals: 6-2, 230 pounds

Resume: The nation’s No. 5 linebacker in the country, according to 247Sports, in the 2019 recruiting cycle, Davis was touted as Orlando’s “most coveted” recruit in 2018 by the Sentinel. At Wekiva High School, Davis was a 4-star prospect who ultimately signed with the Georgia Bulldogs after earning more than 40 scholarship offers from schools across the country.

Georgia linebacker Rian Davis (0) announced Monday night he's transferring to UCF. (L.G. Patterson/AP)

Role: Once in Athens, Ga., Davis took a redshirt his first season before joining the Bulldogs’ kick return unit in 2020 when he played in seven games. The following year, Davis served as a backup linebacker on defense while battling injuries. This past season, he saw action in 14 of 15 games at linebacker while making two starts and helping the Bulldogs win the College Football Playoff National Championship. He recorded 15 tackles to go with 5 quarterback hurries in 2022.

Fit: Linebacker is a position of major need for UCF and Davis fits the bill for three reasons. First, he brings experience from the SEC, having played in 23 games for the Bulldogs. Second, he’s part of Malzahn’s recruiting philosophy to keep top Orlando talent home. Lst but not least, he has two years of eligibility remaining, which is key for the Knights as they transition to the Big 12 Conference. For Davis, it’s an opportunity to remain in a Power Five conference, the chance to contribute on defense and play in front of his hometown. Simply put, it’s a win-win for both sides.

The Lakeland native became the fourth Knight to enter the portal since it opened this spring.

Vitals: 6-6, 320 pounds

Resume: Maldonado didn’t play football until his junior year of high school but quickly morphed into a standout offensive lineman at Lakeland High School. He was Gus Malzahn’s first high school commit at UCF, choosing the Knights over a number of other schools.

Role: Maldonado didn’t see the field as a freshman.

Outlook: While Knights would certainly like to keep the Lakeland-to-UCF recruiting pipeline alive, things just didn’t work between Maldonado and the Orlando school. He’s the second player from Lakeland to depart the program this spring, following defensive lineman Keahnist Thompson. Still, Maldonado wasn’t in the mix at offensive line as a freshman and likely wouldn’t have seen the field for at least another season or two as he continued to develop in college. For Maldonado, it’s a chance to move on from UCF and find a new destination with four seasons of eligibility remaining.

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.

By orally committing to the Knights, a return home is in the making for Patterson.

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.