Experienced transfers and veteran leaders forge a versatile unit in Orlando, as impact additions like Jahleel Culbreath bring proven production to a revamped, high-IQ Knights defense.
The UCF Knights' linebacker room is a deep, talented group. Lewis Carter is manning the captain role, and an impactful transfer in Jahleel Culbreath adds more depth and experience.
Coach Scott Frost and his coaching staff prioritized recruiting transfer players who produced at lower levels in college football, the Group of Five or FCS. Culbreath is an Old Dominion transfer, and his former team plays in the Sun Belt Conference, which is part of the Group of Five.
The 6-foot-4 linebacker praised his new coach for bringing in experienced players to the team because Culbreath and his teammates have talked about football on a deeper level.
"It's good to get around some guys who know ball, that's played a lot of ball, especially with the new transfers coming in," Culbreath said. "You know, Coach Frost did a good job with bringing people in with a lot of experience. So, I feel like talking with the guys about ball more at a deeper level, it's really exciting, and I'm excited to see."
Culbreath spent all four seasons with the Monarchs -- he redshirted his freshman year -- and broke out in the last two seasons. He totaled 133 tackles (55 solo) and 3.5 sacks during his redshirt sophomore and junior campaigns.
The Virginia Beach, Virginia native said he plays fast, physical and smart. He's also embraced a leadership role, uplifting his teammates to bring the best out of his position group.
Culbreath entered the transfer portal on Dec. 22 and committed to the Knights on Jan. 10. Linebacker coach Mark D'Onofrio and Frost met with the Old Dominion transfer and said they had a special role for the redshirt senior heading into his last season.
"Coach D, he was very, very intuitive in what he was talking about, and I trusted him with my last year," Culbreath said. "So, Coach Frost, they believed in me. They sat me down, they were like, 'We want you here, you know?' and they said that they're going to have a special role for me. So, I believed in them, and we're here."
Culbreath believes the linebacker group is very talented, especially with Lewis Carter leading the pack and Tackett Curtis, another experienced transfer playing alongside them.
"Every single linebacker we got can play, man," Culbreath said. "Every single one can play every snap. We have a lot of versatility in the room."
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