{"id":349537,"date":"2026-07-23T05:25:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/349537\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T05:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:25:29","slug":"experience-solidifies-ucfs-safeties-nickel-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/349537\/","title":{"rendered":"Experience solidifies UCF’s safeties, nickel spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 10th in a position-by-position preview of the UCF<\/a> football team heading into fall camp:<\/p>\n

TODAY: SAFETIES\/NICKELS<\/p>\n

What to expect<\/p>\n

UCF\u2019s secondary will most likely be one of its strongest position groups on defense. The Knights ranked third in the Big 12 in passing defense last season, which was a testament to a unit that opened the season with three newcomers.<\/p>\n

Safety Phillip Dunnam quickly asserted himself as one of the top defensive backs in the league, finishing with 60 tackles and three interceptions. Demari Henderson<\/a>\u2019s return from injury to claim the other safety spot helped solidify the position, as did the return of nickelback Braeden Marshall.<\/p>\n

Dunnam\u2019s departure to the NFL means the Knights will once again need to rely on a few new faces heading into the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

One of those faces is Ty Bartrum<\/a>, a redshirt senior transfer from Harvard. Bartrum was a three-year starter who amassed 244 tackles and five interceptions, while leading the Crimson to three consecutive Ivy League championships. An impressive spring performance has the Ohio native a lock for the second safety spot next to Henderson.<\/p>\n

Caleb Flagg, a redshirt senior transfer from Missouri, should step into the rotation along with Jayden Williams. Williams fractured his thumb twice early in the season and received a medical hardship waiver that allowed him to return this season.<\/p>\n

Kahmel Johnson<\/a>, Matt Irwin and TJ Branch joined the roster as offseason transfers, each helping to provide the Knights with experience and depth at the spot.<\/p>\n

What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can play the game; that\u2019s why he\u2019s here. In terms of production, he played a lot of football. He\u2019s a guy that we have high expectations of and we think will be a quality member of the defense.\u201d \u2014 UCF defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch on newcomer Ty Bartrum.<\/p>\n

Returnees<\/p>\n

Demari Henderson
Braeden Marshall
Jayden Williams
Nicholas Antoine<\/p>\n

Arrivals<\/p>\n

Ty Bartrum (Harvard), redshirt senior
Caleb Flagg (Missouri), redshirt senior
Kahmel Johnson (Wayne State), redshirt sophomore
Matt Irwin (Idaho), junior
TJ Branch (Colorado), redshirt freshman
Donnell Johnson III (Monroe), redshirt junior
Tyce Porcher (King\u2019s Academy), freshman
Otis Hardy (Evans High), freshman
Jayden Burnett (Cardinal Mooney), freshman<\/p>\n

Departures<\/p>\n

Phillip Dunnam (eligibility): 60 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 INT, 2 BRUP
Jaeden Gould (transfer to Temple): 5 tackles, 1 BRUP, 1 BLK
Tony Williams (transfer to Kennesaw State): 2 tackles
Christian Peterson (transfer to East Carolina)
Hudson Gibbs (retired)<\/p>\n

Projected depth chart<\/p>\n

SS1 \u2014 Demari Henderson
SS1 \u2014 Jayden Williams
NB1 \u2014 Braeden Marshall
SS2 \u2014 Ty Bartrum
SS2 \u2014 Kahmel Johnson
NB2 \u2014 Caleb Flagg<\/p>\n

Previous<\/p>\n

Quarterback<\/a>
Running back<\/a>
Wide receiver<\/a>
Tight end<\/a>
Offensive line<\/a>
Interior defensive line<\/a>
Edge<\/a>
Linebacker<\/a>
Cornerbacks<\/a><\/p>\n

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Sign up for the Sentinel\u2019s Knights Weekly<\/a> newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 10th in a position-by-position preview of the UCF football team heading into fall camp: TODAY: SAFETIES\/NICKELS What…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[111,28,114,1335,139,141,140,76046,110,3865],"class_list":["post-349537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-college-sports","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-social-sports","tag-sports","tag-ucf-knights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}