The University of Central Florida first fielded a varsity football team in 1979, and ascended to Division I–A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), in 1996. The Knights entered an Automatic Qualifying conference in 2013, and won the program's first major bowl game. In 1987, Ted Wilson became the first Knight to be selected in an NFL Draft when he was selected in the tenth round by the Washington Redskins. Since Wilson's selection, thirty-four Knights have been drafted into the National Football League, including four first round selections. The highest a UCF player has been drafted is third overall in 2014, when quarterback Blake Bortles was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Key B Back K Kicker NT Nose tackle C Center LB Linebacker FB Fullback DB Defensive back P Punter HB Halfback DE Defensive end QB Quarterback WR Wide receiver DT Defensive tackle RB Running back G Guard E End T Offensive tackle TE Tight end
Selections Blake Bortles was drafted 3rd overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2014 NFL Draft Brandon Marshall was drafted 120th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft Draft year Round Overall Player name NFL team Position Notes 1987 10 274 Ted Wilson [1] Washington Redskins WR — 12 330 Elgin Davis New England Patriots RB — 1988 3 65 Bernard Ford Buffalo Bills WR — 5 136 Corris Ervin [2] Denver Broncos DB — 1991 9 225 Raymond Irvin Cleveland Browns DB — 9 240 Shawn Jefferson Houston Oilers WR — 1992 3 66 Bob Spitulski Seattle Seahawks LB — 1993 3 71 Rick Hamilton Washington Redskins LB — 1995 3 72 Greg Jefferson Philadelphia Eagles DE — 1996 5 142 Marquette Smith Carolina Panthers RB — 1999 1 11 Daunte Culpepper * Minnesota Vikings QB Pro Bowl (2000 , 2003 , 2004 ) 4 96 Paul Miranda Indianapolis Colts DB — 2000 7 242 Charles Lee Green Bay Packers WR — 2002 2 64 Travis Fisher St. Louis Rams DB — 2003 4 120 Asante Samuel *† New England Patriots DB Pro Bowl (2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 ) Super Bowl Champion (XXXVIII , XXXIX ) 5 167 Doug Gabriel Oakland Raiders WR — 7 250 Mike Mabry Baltimore Ravens C — 7 259 Elton Patterson Cincinnati Bengals DE — 2004 7 232 Michael Gaines Carolina Panthers TE — 2006 4 119 Brandon Marshall * Denver Broncos WR Pro Bowl (2008 , 2009 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2015 ) 2007 3 79 Mike Sims-Walker Jacksonville Jaguars WR — 2008 3 64 Kevin Smith Detroit Lions RB — 4 135 Josh Sitton *† Green Bay Packers G Pro Bowl (2012 , 2014 , 2015 , 2016 ) Super Bowl Champion (XLV ) 7 239 Mike Merritt Kansas City Chiefs TE — 2009 5 168 Joe Burnett Pittsburgh Steelers DB — 2010 2 41 Torell Troup Buffalo Bills DT — 2011 3 85 Jah Reid † Baltimore Ravens OT Super Bowl Champion (XLVII ) 7 211 Bruce Miller San Francisco 49ers LB — 2012 3 66 Josh Robinson Minnesota Vikings DB — 2013 6 181 Latavius Murray * Oakland Raiders RB Pro Bowl (2015 ) 7 243 Kemal Ishmael Atlanta Falcons DB — 2014 1 3 Blake Bortles Jacksonville Jaguars QB — 7 222 Storm Johnson Jacksonville Jaguars RB — 2015 1 26 Breshad Perriman Baltimore Ravens WR — 4 109 Clayton Geathers Indianapolis Colts DB — 2017 3 90 Shaquill Griffin * Seattle Seahawks DB Pro Bowl (2019 ) 2018 1 30 Mike Hughes Minnesota Vikings DB — 3 91 Tre'Quan Smith New Orleans Saints WR — 3 98 Jordan Akins Houston Texans TE — 5 141 Shaquem Griffin Seattle Seahawks LB — 2019 2 58 Trysten Hill Dallas Cowboys DT — 2020 4 128 Gabe Davis Buffalo Bills WR — 2021 2 40 Richie Grant Atlanta Falcons DB — 3 71 Aaron Robinson New York Giants DB — 4 141 Jacob Harris Los Angeles Rams WR — 6 223 Tay Gowan Arizona Cardinals DB — 7 242 Tre Nixon New England Patriots WR — 2022 6 220 Kalia Davis San Francisco 49ers DT — 2024 4 110 Javon Baker New England Patriots WR — 6 204 Tylan Grable Buffalo Bills T —
Notable free agents 1999 / T Cornell Green
References ^ "UCF Knights Football." UCFKnights.com Retrieved on May 28, 2015. ^ Football Database 1988 NFL draft Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold