Wes Dorsey eager to help UCF win Big 12 Championship
Wes Dorsey is excited to write one final chapter of his college football career.
After five years at Western Kentucky, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle is transferring to UCF for his final season of eligibility. He announced his commitment on Sunday following an official visit.
Dorsey entered the transfer portal in late November, though remained with the Hilltoppers through their bowl game, a 28-point comeback win against Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl. He took his first and only visit to UCF last week.
"UCF was one of the first schools that reached out to me," Dorsey said. "I wanted to finish the season with my guys, my friends, so I was going to hold off on taking visits."
Dorsey visited UCF in the middle part of last week.
"The campus was beautiful," Dorsey said. "I really like that I'll be able to play in a stadium called the Bounce House. That's pretty cool. Being able to get experience and coaching from Coach (Gus) Malzahn and Coach (Herb) Hand is an absolute blessing. Coach Hand is one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. I think he can make me into a really good player. I'm just really looking forward to getting down there and being in that kind of atmosphere."
Dorsey is originally from Knoxville, Tenn., and graduated from Grace Christian Academy in the Class of 2019. He had offers back then from schools such as Central Michigan, Chattanooga and Austin Peay before picking Western Kentucky.
He described himself as a"twig" in high school, weighing a slender 242 pounds to go along with a 6-foot-6 frame. His early years at WKU were focused on body development.
"It was very difficult for me to gain weight," Dorsey said. "I've been working with nutritionists at Western my entire career. I was always drinking shakes, basically consuming an extra 2,000 calories on top of the usual 3-4 meals a day. It was a struggle trying to get to 300 pounds. It's now a bit easier staying at this weight. I still have to hammer down food all day. It is easier, but still kind of a chore."
Dorsey emerged as a starter at right tackle in 2022, playing in 11 of WKU's 14 games. He became a full-time starter in 2023, appearing in all 13 games including the bowl game.
He believes he will remain a right tackle at UCF.
"As far as I know I'll be a right tackle, but Coach Hand cross trains a lot of guys," Dorsey said. "He was moving people all over the place this year. The right tackle was playing left guard, the left guard was playing center. Honestly, wherever I'm needed, I'll play."
Most of the players were still on holiday break at the time of his visit, though he did get to connect briefly with fellow incoming transfer Jabari Brooks, the center from Samford.
Dorsey committed prior to leaving, but waited a couple days before announcing.
"I loved the atmosphere down there and what they have to offer," he said. "I know a couple of the players, like Ricky Barber who played at WKU. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with him."
Dorsey was appreciative of his experience at WKU. He said his favorite memory was their appearance in the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game. He also really enjoyed some of their away game experiences, particularly games at Auburn, Louisville and Michigan State.
"I absolutely loved my time at Western," Dorsey said. "It's been great. The relationships and friends I've made will be life long. Two years ago we went to the conference championship, that was a heck of a season. We came up short this past season, but overall we had a great five years. I'm really happy with what we accomplished."
He's looking forward to new experiences at UCF and is especially excited about the schedule. The Knights have a Big 12 home slate featuring Arizona, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado and Utah, plus road games at Arizona State, Iowa State, TCU and West Virginia. Also, a road non-conference game at Florida.
"Going from a Group of Five to a Power Five team is definitely a big change, but I'm up for the challenge," Dorsey said. "I'm ready for everything thrown my way. I know we're going to have a heck of an offense with a lot of good players returning and coming in. The goal is to win a conference championship. I think we can be the best team in the Big 12."