UCF TE Grant Stevens poised for breakout season
Grant Stevens is finally ready to go.
The Class of 2022 tight end signee from Nease High School spent his first two seasons at UCF on the injury list, but now he's full strength and in line to be a big contributor on both offense and special teams.
"I'm extremely excited," Stevens said. "Coming in I hurt my shoulder and then last year around the Fourth of July I had a freak accident at home that put me out for the year. I was really bummed about that, but me and my family prayed about it. Mary (Vander Heiden), Miss Sheila (Klausner) and the health staff have done a great job rehabbing me and getting my body back so I can play again. I'm really excited to be able to play."
The injury last summer certainly was a "freak accident." At home for an Independence Day gathering with family and friends, Stevens was placing a punch bowl into the refrigerator when it slipped out of his hands. A large shard of glass punctured his bare foot, slicing through tendons and a nerve.
"It was bad," Stevens said. "Thank God my mom is in the medical field. She knew what to do until the ambulance got there."
Stevens wasn't cleared for full participation until after the 2023 season had concluded.
"People think the biggest thing about injuries is the physical part, but it's 95 percent mental," Stevens said. "You have to stay into it, keep going to rehab and believe that you can come back as good or better than you were before. Trusting Mary, Sheila, Fred (Donnell), Ed (Woodley) and Kyle (Flora) for getting me back right now. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me."
Stevens has also really appreciated his position coach, Brian Blackmon.
"He's awesome," Stevens said. "I couldn't have asked for anybody better. He's a great man of faith too. He was always telling me to keep on praying about it, we serve a great God, he believed in me to come back. Some places would have forgotten about me, Blackmon never did that. I'm super thankful for him. Amazing guy."
UCF will have a new-look tight end room this year. Alec Holler and Zach Marsh-Wojan have moved on, leaving Randy Pittman, Stevens and Jordan Davis as the returning players. Newcomers this spring include Evan Morris (Michigan State transfer), Reece Adkins (Eastern Kentucky transfer) and Kylan Fox (high school signee).
"I think we're a lot more versatile this year," Stevens said. "You guys know about Randy. He can run, block and catch. I think we have a lot of guys that can do that."