UCF's defense is expected to get a big boost from transfers this season. That group includes Bryson Armstrong, a former FCS All-American who owns nearly every defensive record at Kennesaw State.
The Marietta, Ga., native started his collegiate career with a bang in 2017, earning the Jerry Rice Award for the best freshman at the FCS level. That season included a monster game against Alabama State in which he recorded 15 tackles (13 solo), two sacks, two TFLs, a forced fumble and an interception.
In his final home game at the conclusion of their spring 2021 season, Armstrong returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.
In between he took home plenty of accolades, including All-American selections and Big South Conference awards.
In all, Armstrong owns 13 records at Kennesaw State, including sacks (18.5), tackles (320), solo tackles (226), forced fumbles (5) and fumble recoveries (5).
After four standout seasons at the Georgia school, Armstrong made the decision to use his extra COVID year to become a graduate transfer and is looking forward to taking his talents to the FBS level. He enrolled at UCF earlier this summer.
Armstrong, who was a linebacker at KSU, appears to be in line to be a versatile athlete within UCF's defense. Safety or Knight (nickel) could also be where he's utilized.
We caught up with Armstrong on Wednesday, following UCF's second scrimmage of camp. He first spoke about his decision to come to UCF, noting he didn't have any prior connections to Gus Malzahn or the coaching staff.
"To be honest, when I was at Kennesaw the whole time I never thought about transferring," Armstrong said. "It was never in my mind. After playing my last spring - we played our season in the spring - I thought why not go play at the next level? Like I said, it had never crossed my mind before. It was something I really wanted to do, to see if I could go play at a higher level. When Coach Malzahn reached out to me, I knew this was a good fit."
What have been the biggest challenges?
"Probably the Florida heat," Armstrong said. "There's a lot of speed out here. At the end of the day, it's really just football. It's what I love to do. It's why I came here, to play football. Of course, you've got guys that have more speed and are a little bit bigger. I'm getting used to those things. It's been good."
Despite playing a spring season at Kennesaw State, Armstrong said he was holding up well.
"My body is doing good," he said. "I'm getting old. I've taken a lot of hits at my age. We only played six games in the spring. It wasn't too bad. I've had plenty of time to recover. My body is doing just fine."
What does he want to provide to UCF this season?
"I want to come in and just be that teammate that guys can look to in need. Rally the guys. I'm just looking to have fun this last year and come out on top."
What's the attitude like on defense?
"Coach T-Will has done a great job of establishing a great culture on defense," Armstrong said. "We fly to the ball. We rally behind each other. Even Coach Malzahn. Just the culture here in general is positive. We're always looking after each other. I think we'll be something special on defense this year."
Reports indicated the defense held the upper hand in last week's scrimmage. Did that continue on Wednesday?
"I think both sides of the ball have been doing fairly well," Armstrong said. "I'm a defensive guy, so I'll say defense came out on top. The offense is doing a lot of good things. I'm proud of both sides of the ball."
It's now only two weeks until the season opener against Boise State.
"There's a lot of things we need to get better on before that time comes," Armstrong said. "I think all the guys are excited. I know they're all excited. I know I am. When you get this close to a game, you up the intensity of practice and meetings. I think all the guys are looking forward to that first game here. We're all excited."
Armstrong can't wait for the season to arrive and to be a part of this new era of UCF Football.
"I'm super excited. I'm ready to get out there and play. I think it's going to be a really fun year. I think we have something to prove. Like Coach Malzahn said when he recruited me to come here, he knew this was going to be something special. All the guys believe it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the end looks like."
