Things are going to get rough for Gus Malzahn and UCF Knights. But on the flip side, the Cincinnati Bearcats are going to benefit from this. It has been five years ever since their victory against the Knights. This year, too, they thought their luck wouldn’t be on their side. But good news for them! The Bearcats won’t have to deal with a familiar face this time.

Going by the reports, Malzahn’s defensive back has decided to hit the transfer portal days after the soul-crushing Buffs loss. While UCF had a costly loss, the son of the NFL legend and Bearcats linebacker is gaining all the attention for the right reasons.    

Gus Malzahn gets cold feet losing a key player

Another day, another player plans to redshirt this season. This time it’s Gulzahn’s defensive back Byron Threats. On October 3, ESPN’s senior writer Pete Thamel broke the news, that “UCF defensive back Bryon Threats has informed the UCF coaches that he plans to redshirt and transfer, he told ESPN. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining. @bryonthreats10.”

Ever since Threats started his collegiate career having spent the first three seasons in Cincinnati, he has been quite a name. He made 19 starts playing a huge role in helping the Bearcats make it to the College Football Playoff. That’s surely not the end of his talents. Going by the numbers he amassed in his career, the DB logged 130 tackles paired with four interceptions and eight tackles for loss.

You may tag it as sheer coincidence, but Threats’ departure will be taking place only a few days ahead of facing his alma mater on October 12. While it’s evident that the Knights can no longer trust their HC after their defeat against Colorado, another player left Malzahn in a pool of cold sweat with his decision to hit the transfer portal.  

UCF’s setback continues as Cincinnati strengthens grounds

Already the Knights are recovering from their 48-21 loss against Deion Sanders‘ Buffs. UCF failed to score on three of its five trips in the red zone and even faltered in protecting their QB. While they thought of flipping the narrative, trying to win against Scott Satterfield’s squad, that’s not going to happen any time soon. Even before Threats decided to call it quits with UCF, it was their star WR Xavier Townsend who decided to take advantage of the NCAA’s redshirt rule. 

On October 3, he confirmed the news through a note posted on Instagram that he addressed to HC Malzahn and other coaches. “I’ve decided to use my redshirt year and will be entering the transfer portal. Coach Malzahn, Coach Harris, and the entire staff have been great mentors as well as coaches. I will value every lesson I have learned over the last two plus years,” wrote Townsend. Keeping all this in mind, the Bearcats are giving their everything to assist their linebacker Antwan Peek Jr.

Peek Jr. already carries the legacy of his UC Hall of Famer dad and the NFL defensive lineman, Antwan Peek. Like his father, he has a nose for the ball and came up with a key fumble at Texas Tech that resulted in a UC touchdown. On the other hand, Gus Malzahn pins all his hopes on the UCF X-factor, QB KJ Jefferson. Who do you think is going to go away with a broad smile on October 12?

While you think about the answer, you can explore intriguing concepts like NIL and NFL in the latest episode of the Think Tank podcast.