Along with the 2024 Big 12 Media Preseason Poll, the conference has also announced its preseason All-Big 12 team and individual honors. The prediction of UCF finishing eighth in the conference was disappointing, but three Knights earned team and individual honors.
Wide receiver Kobe Hudson and defensive lineman Lee Hunter were named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and Arkansas transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson was named the Preseason All-Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
Plenty of potential from our #Big12FB Media Preseason Team 👀 pic.twitter.com/S7nEna051D
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 2, 2024
Hudson made the choice after the 2023 season to stick with the Knights for one more year in 2024 while Hunter is heading into his third year with the Knights.
Both put up impressive numbers in 2023 with Hunter having 69 total tackles, three sacks, and one pass defended. He will be the anchor along with Ricky Barber on what should be a lethal defensive line this season. On the other side of the ball, Hudson had 900 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on the year on 44 receptions. He will most likely be Jefferson's main target in the 2024 season with the departure of Javon Baker.
Jefferson comes to UCF as a sixth-year senior from Arkansas and is looking to get back to his 2021 and 2022 form. In 2023, Jefferson struggled and only had 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns, adn eight interceptions. However, in the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined, Jefferson had 5,324 yards and 45 touchdowns with only nine interceptions.
Jefferson, however, adds in a rushing attack, as John Rhys Plumlee had for the Knights the past two seasons. Jefferson's rushing stats went down the past two seasons after rushing for almost 150 yards for his first three seasons.
With the type of offense that head coach Gus Malzahn likes to run, he wants to have a quarterback who can be a rushing threat in order to keep the defense honest and not play over the top the whole time.
Jefferson is immediately stepping into a good spot at UCF to become the full-time starter with solid weapons around him. Not only does he have Hudson on the outside, but also Xavier Townsend who came into form for the Knights last season with 325 yards and three touchdowns. With Baker gone, Hudson and Townsend should get the majority of the targets in the passing game.
In the running game, Jefferson will also have returning running back RJ Harvey, who was top five in every rushing category in the Big 12 last season. Harvey will be able to take pressure off of Jefferson when needed with his explosiveness through the line and his ability to be a great catching back. Behind Harvey there is also Johnny Richardson who had great speed and good hands as well to be used in the passing game.
Jefferson is a great candidate for Newcomer of the Year in the Big 12, especially with the weapons around him and Malzahn at the head leading the team.