UCF defensive lineman Mason Cholewa loves being back on the football field.

The Pennsylvania native is seeing his first collegiate action after a redshirt year, regularly rotating in at defensive tackle. He's appeared in more than 20 snaps in each of the first three games.

"It's so fun," Cholewa said. "I missed it so much. I've had a lot of help from Trysten (Hill), Joey (Connors), (A.J.) Wooten. They've helped me so much getting me through spring and camp in getting to right now."

Cholewa committed to UCF during the summer prior to his senior season, choosing the Knights over offers from Buffalo, UConn, Iowa State, Syracuse, Temple, Toledo and others.

Given UCF's existing depth when he arrived and the fact linemen usually need at least a year to get acclimated, Cholewa wasn't surprised when he was redshirted in 2017.

"To be honest with you, I think redshirting was the best possibility because I had two NFL guys in front of me," he said. "I came in here only like 250 pounds. I'm 290 right now. They did a great job putting weight on me. And then just learning football overall. That was a big thing. Just understanding what the offensive line is doing and understanding my position."

What has he learned from these first three games?

"It's fast," Cholewa said. "It's super, super fast. You've got to play aggressive and mean. That's the only way - play fast and mean and know your assignments."

He's also one of a pair of UCF players who are from the Pittsburgh area. He played at Montour High School in McKees Rocks, which is just on the other side of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh.

"(Pitt) would always come to my school and talk and everything, but they actually wanted me to play offensive line," Cholewa said. "I really didn't want to be an offensive lineman. I wanted to play defense, so I told them that. Most schools actually wanted me for offensive line. When (former UCF defensive line coach) Mike Dawson was recruiting me, he came in and said he saw me as a defensive player. I just loved (UCF)."

Naturally, Cholewa knows a few players on the other sideline.

"I played in the Big 33, which is an all-star game between Pennsylvania and Maryland. I played against Gabe Houy and Brandon Ford. They went to Upper St. Clair High School. I know Tyler Sear and I know two d-tackles."

He also has a high school friend attending the University of Pittsburgh.

"She's been texting me, 'Pitt is gonna beat you guys.' I was just laughing."

Cholewa is expecting a larger family crowd in the stands too.

"I'm having a lot of people coming to the game," he said. "My aunt and her boyfriend, my mom, dad, my godfather. A whole lot of family friends are coming, plus a couple kids from my high school. It's gonna be a good game."