5 Best UCF Knights Football Players, Ranked

Heading into the 2017 season, the UCF Knights NCAA fb odds to win the national championship were +200000.

While they didn’t win it, they still had a phenomenal season, going 13-0 and winning the Peach Bowl. 

The Knights football odds can be bet online at the BetMGM online sportsbook. 

See who ranks atop the top five Knights of all time below. 

5 Best UCF Knights Football Players, Ranked

UCF Knights All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. McKenzie Milton

Milton was at UCF from 2016 to 2018. 

He threw for 8,683 passing yards (fourth in program history), 72 passing touchdowns (fourth), 9,761 total yards (third), and 92 total touchdowns (fourth). 

In 2017, he set single-season records in passing yards (4,037), passing touchdowns (37), total yards (4,650), and total touchdowns (45). 

That same season, UCF went a perfect 13-0, including a win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. 

From 2017 to 2018, UCF was undefeated, with Milton as the quarterback. 

He also ran for 1,078 yards as the UCF signal-caller. 

He was two-time first-team All-AAC, two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year, and won the Archie Griffin Award (college football’s most valuable player). 

2. Kevin Smith

Smith was with UCF from 2005 to 2007 and played running back. 

When he left the program, he had 4,679 rushing yards (first), 45 rushing touchdowns (first), and 46 total touchdowns (tied for seventh). 

He holds single-season records in rushing yards (2,567) and rushing touchdowns (29), both of which came during the 2007 season. 

Smith was a consensus All-American, Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference USA, second-team All-Conference USA, and the program honoured his No. 24. 

3. Blake Bortles

Bortles was with UCF from 2010 to 2013 before becoming the No. 3 overall draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

He became the full-time starter as a sophomore and ended his career with 7,598 passing yards (sixth), 56 passing touchdowns (fifth), 8,159 total yards (sixth), and 71 total touchdowns (sixth). 

In 2012, UCF won the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns. 

He followed that up with a 52-42 win in the Fiesta Bowl over Baylor. He threw for 301 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and ran eight times for 93 yards and a score. 

He was the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-AAC, second-team All Conference-USA, and is enshrined in the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame. 

4. Daunte Culpepper

When Culpepper enrolled at UCF in 1995, the school wasn’t quite a Division I program yet. However, that changed in 1996, and he went on to become the school’s all-time leading passer with 11,412 yards. 

UCF was considered an independent program until 2002. 

Additionally, he tossed 84 touchdowns (first), had 24 rushing touchdowns (eighth), 12,432 total yards (first), and 108 total touchdowns (first). 

He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy in 1998, an award recognizing the nation’s top passer. 

Today, his No. 8 is honoured at UCF. 

5. Shaquem Griffin

Griffin played for UCF from 2013 to 2017 as a linebacker. 

During the 2016 season, he had 11.0 sacks, which is tied for fifth in a single UCF season. 

This came despite having amniotic band syndrome, which ultimately caused his left hand to be amputated. 

He was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Peach Bowl Defensive MVP, second-team All-American, and two-time first-team All-AAC. He also won the NCAA Inspiration Award and is enshrined in the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame. 

According to the NCAA, the NCAA Inspiration Award is given to a person who “when confronted with a life-altering situation, used perseverance, dedication, and determination to overcome the event and now serves as a role model to give hope and inspiration to others in similar situations.”