The goal for tight end Jake Hescock this season was to become more of an option in UCF's passing game. That was also the objective for new co-offensive coordinator Alex Golesh, whom Josh Heupel brought in to help overhaul that unit.
Dillon Gabriel has plenty of offensive weapons so Hescock isn't typically a primary target, though he has seen an uptick in production and has already matched his touchdown total (2) from last season.
During Monday's press conference, Hescock talked about working to become a more complete tight end.
"I think most of the progress is coming in practice right now, just trying to get comfortable myself in running the routes, catching it and having Dillon be comfortable throwing to me and knowing I'm going to get the job done," Hescock said. "That's the basic thing, just working on the trust in practice."
Hescock says Golesh has been all about positive reassurance that his hard work will pay off.
"Doing the things in practice, Golesh is telling me, 'It looks good. You're doing a good job. Just keep building on it.' They put me in a lot of situations where in practice the past couple years I might not have done as much of the route running or pass catching, but now that it's happening in practice it's translating more to the game. I hope we get to see the same production. We have so many weapons on offense with the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. So many weapons, the ball can only go to one person every play. Whatever happens, happen. I'm just happy to be here."
Generally speaking, he loves what Golesh has brought to the team.
"Something he's brought and instilled in our group and the whole entire offense is just bringing energy every day," Hescock said. "He does it no matter what the day is or the situation. He's comes in and is fired up, ready to go. Having that in the room gets us ready for practice. He's also out in the practice field challenging other guys. When he gets out there, he's calling other guys out. 'Where's your energy? Where is your juice?' He also brings a great offensive mind too. There's things we've done in the past and he explains in another level in why we're doing this and how it fits into the entire scheme of the offense."
As a senior and one of the older players on the team, Hescock recognized he had to step in the role of a leader.
"I've never really been in this position," he said. "I actually reached out to Michael Colubiale for some insight. Even he told me, 'I was in this leadership position when we were undefeated two years in a row.' He's never had to deal with as much of the adversity, but he gave me some great pointers. Golesh has helped me along the way in just trying to understand how to lead a room and it's also holding myself to a different standard. People are now looking to me for direction. It's my job to show everybody the right direction and make sure we're on a path to be successful."
UCF is putting up prolific numbers on offense that if the current trend holds through the rest of the season, NCAA records could be broken.
"I think everybody feels really comfortable," Hescock said. "With a lot of the guys it's their second or third year under this offense and this staff. Just buying into the whole process. This is a good year if you're a young guy or a guy that needs help in the playbook, this is a great year to get it. We were constantly in meetings, more than ever before. The understanding of the offense and what the coaches want us to get done is pretty straightforward now. That's easier for us. We have a clear understanding and trust in it. Now we have to execute it which is one of the easiest parts."
Hescock thought Tulane was one of their better performances to date.
"I think it showed how versatile the team is," he said. "We threw for 400 and also ran for a lot. Just the defense they came out in and how we planned to attack it, that kind of changed a little bit. It was being adaptable and being able to go out there and just do what your job is and execute it. I think that was the best time that we've gone out there and just executed."
Hescock arrived for his Zoom interview pulling a Halloween Week prank, waving to the online media contingent only to see his (prop) hand detach from the wrist. He was later asked about his favorite costume growing up.
"I think one of my favorite memories was my mom dressing me up as the Hamburglar once," Hescock said. "I want to say elementary school. It was probably one of the best costumes on the street that year. It was hand-made, so shout out to mom. People were really jealous."
