First-year UCF coach Gus Malzahn has recruited one of his former players at Auburn to join the Knights for the 2021 season. Big Kat Bryant, the longtime Tigers defensive end, announced on Twitter that he would spend his final year of eligibility at UCF playing for Malzahn. Bryant joins former Auburn running back Mark-Antony Richards and wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers as the third Auburn player to transfer to UCF.
Bryant entered the transfer portal in January after spending four years with the Tigers. A four-star recruit out of Georgia, Bryant joined Auburn as a member of the 2017 class and played against UCF as a freshman in the Peach Bowl. He went on to play as a backup as a sophomore in 2018 before being named a starter in 2019 and 2020.
Bryant was a second-team All-SEC selection this past year and named a team captain, but he never quite dominated like other defensive linemen that preceded him through the program, among them Nick Coe or Derrick Brown.
Still, Bryant is a seasoned and well-respected defensive player who should add value to a Knights defense that slipped in 2020. UCF had a decent pass rush with 26 sacks in 10 games, but it allowed 33 points per game ranked dead last in the AAC in pass defense at just under 300 yards per game allowed.
