Few, if any, top 25 teams can match UCF's quarterback carousel within the last year. That started with the brutal leg injury to McKenzie Milton last season and continued with Darriel Mack Jr.'s broken ankle over the summer. Then, in Week 2 against FAU, the Knights started true freshman Dillon Gabriel over Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush with coach Josh Heupel revealing afterwards that Wimbush wasn't 100 percent.
Such attrition at an important position could be devastating for many programs, but UCF has handled it without missing a beat in its first two games. The good news, though, is that the Knights are getting depth back at quarterback. Speaking with reporters on Monday, Heupel shared that Mack has been medically cleared to play and will be available to the team for the upcoming home game against Stanford.
That may be an important addition even though Mack hasn't played football since last season. Heupel did not divulge what Wimbush's issue was following the Week 2 win over the Owls, saying only that he would evaluate his status later in the week as the team prepared for the Cardinal.
Still, Gabriel was decent in his debut, throwing for 245 yards and a pair of scores while adding another rushing touchdown.