UCF sports gearing up for year 2 in new conferences

ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF fans and various head coaches braved the rain Friday night in downtown Orlando to look ahead to the 2024-25 season.

For most sports, this will be year 2 in the Big 12 Conference. Men’s soccer is in the Sun Belt Conference. The sports highlighted included football, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer.

“We got an unbelievable fanbase,” Athletic Director Terry Mohajir told News 6 at the pep rally. “You can see Knight Nation shows up all the time.”

Football is coming off a 6-7 first year in the Big 12 and losing the Gasparilla Bowl to Georgia Tech. It’s the first losing season for Head Coach Gus Malzahn and a learning experience for the program. The first game of the 2024 season is Thursday, Aug. 29, against New Hampshire.

“We had some growing pains at certain positions,” Malzahn said on stage. “We really addressed it in the transfer portal.”

Some of those additions include quarterback KJ Jefferson (played last year at Arkansas) and linebacker Ethan Barr (played last year at Vanderbilt) and both were in attendance at the pep rally. Offensive lineman Marcellus Marshall and running back RJ Harvey were also there. All four players are captains this year.

“To be voted as a team captain was one of my goals and just glad to be able to accomplish that,” Marshall said on stage.

Men’s basketball is inarguably one of the strongest conferences, with eight teams making it to March Madness. The team finished with an overall 17-16 record last year. Head Coach Johnny Dawkins signed an extension to stay at UCF. The first game this season is Monday, Nov. 4, against Texas A&M.

“The guys have been working really hard,” Dawkins told News 6. “You see the improvement throughout the summer. We’re just going to keep pushing and getting better.”

Women’s basketball also had a tough first year in the Big 12, ending with a 12-17 overall record. Junior Kaitlin Peterson led the Big 12 in scoring with 568 points and 20.3 points per game.

“We’ve had our players on campus all summer and just getting adjusted and building our culture,” Head Coach Sytia Messer said to News 6. “We’re just excited about our season. We open up on Nov. 5.”

Men’s soccer reached the top of the rankings, spending some time as the No. 1 seed. The team ended with a 10-4-2 record and an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. But Head Coach Scott Calabrese told News 6 the team culture is something to build on for the upcoming season, starting on Thursday, Aug. 22, against Mercer.

“We need to carry that forward into next year,” Calabrese said. “We need to gel at the right time and be healthy at the right time, which is the end of the season. I think there are a lot of lessons that the guys took away as well, and we’re excited to get going again.”

Women’s soccer earned a spot in the Big 12 playoffs in its first year in the conference, boasting a 10-7-1 record in 2023. And for two years in a row, a UCF player was drafted by NWSL team the Orlando Pride, this year being midfielder Talia Gabarra in the fourth round. The first game this season is Thursday, Aug. 15, at Florida Atlantic.

“We’re all striving to be better every single year,” Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said on stage. “This team wants to go for it. Come on out and watch us.”