Catching Up with Freshman QB Dylan Rizk
Could Dylan Rizk be UCF's quarterback of the future? The true freshman has been one of the standouts of preseason camp, earning praise from coaches and teammates for his strong play through the first couple weeks.
UCFSports.com caught up with the Delray Beach native at the recent freshman media day.
Rizk, who arrived at UCF this summer, said his mindset coming in was to work as hard as he can.
"Play every rep like it's the Super Bowl," Rizk said.
He said he was a little nervous coming in, wondering if his teammates would like him, but said it's been awesome.
"I could ask for more learning from John Rhys (Plumlee)," Rizk said.
Rizk committed to UCF prior to Darin Hinshaw's arrival. He's a big fan..
"Coach Hinshaw, he's awesome," Rizk said. "I love him. He's a Christian Catholic man. We pray before every meeting. I've really learned a lot. Coach Hinshaw's offense is great. It's a defense destroyer. Some plays you can't have an answer for if you're the defense. That's what you want as a quarterback. It's a ripper. A defense ripper I call it."
He added that Hinshaw cares about his players and will spend extra time just to make sure you understand things.
Rizk is super excited about the offense.
"I think we'll be incredibly explosive," he said. "I think we'll be a great running and throwing team. We're gonna be super explosive. We won't have those three and outs. We're gonna go drive down the field and get those touchdowns. Help the defense and they'll help us out.
"We're gonna be really close. Just bonding. The closer you are, the better you're gonna play. That's a fact. You'll do anything for those guys if you truly love them."
His goals for this season?
"Whatever they need me to do."
Why was UCF the right decision for him? How is he liking everything?
"It's awesome," Rizk said. "I love all the coaches. They're so welcoming, so nice. You walk down the hallway, 'Good morning, how are you dong?' I love it. I'm a social guy. I like talking to people. I like interacting. These coaches are like that also. It's a great vibe in the building. I look forward to practice the next day. Going from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every day. I'm never dreading it. Today we have an off day and I hate it. Tomorrow we have a scrimmage and I can't wait."
Growing up, Rizk's favorite quarterback Russell Wilson. He'd always play the Seahawks on Madden. Now he's appreciating Patrick Mahomes.
"I like his playing style and how he makes plays happen."