UCF defensive tackle Walker to miss ‘extended period’ with injury

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — As the University of Central Florida prepares to open its 2024 college football season on Thursday night, coach Gus Malzahn confirmed Monday that sophomore defensive tackle John Walker will be out for “an extended period.”

Malzahn said only that Walker, who committed to the Knights out of Osceola High School, has a lower extremity injury and that he “hopes” they will be able to get him back before the end of the season.

Walker, 6 feet 4 inches tall and 310 pounds, played in all 13 games and started one for UCF last season. He totaled 24 tackles, including 14 solo and five tackles for loss.

With Walker out, redshirt senior Daylan Dotson out of UT-Martin moved into the Knights’ depth chart for the game.

Malzahn added that redshirt senior tight end Jordan Davis out of Sanford Seminole is out for the season with an injury. He missed all but one game last season because of an injury, but Malzahn said Davis wanted to come back and give it another try.

The rest of the team is healthy, Malzahn said.

The Knights will face Football Championship Subdivision foe New Hampshire in their opener, which will kick off at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday at FBC Mortgage Stadium. The game is sold out.

Malzahn said he respects New Hampshire, which went 6-5 last season in the Coastal Athletic Association, and is hoping that the Knights can avoid shooting themselves in the foot with mistakes this season. That was a key focus for the Knights during fall practice, as Malzahn said repeatedly that the mistakes of last year’s team frustrated him.

“I want us to play good, team football,” Malzahn said. “I want us to be sound on offense without all the penalty crap … I want us to be sound on defense.” 

Malzahn said he also wants to hear the crowd “say woo” a little bit.

The game will mark the UCF debut of quarterback KJ Jefferson, a fifth-year transfer out of Arkansas. John Rhys Plumlee, the Knights’ quarterback the past two seasons, graduated and is working to try to earn a position on the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall.

Jefferson said the Knights, who have more than 40 transfers on the roster this season, are not at the top of their game yet, but that they are working to get better every day.

“We’re out there fighting for the same thing, and we’re heading in the same direction,” Jefferson said.

He said he will be looking to get the team in a rhythm early and play UCF-brand football.

The Knights also posted their depth chart for Game 1 on X Thursday, but Malzahn said it’s not set in stone for the season.