Freed from dual duties, UCF's OC now shares expertise across position groups, enhancing drills and refining execution for a stronger offense.
UCF offensive coordinator Steve Cooper held dual duties last season, also serving as the tight ends coach. The Knights found his successor, and he is enjoying floating around other position groups.
Cooper Bassett, former Oklahoma State offensive line coach, was hired as the new tight ends coach on Jan. 9. His hiring freed Cooper from his additional occupation, which has opened up his schedule during spring practice.
"I think the big one is that I can spend more time with other position groups," Cooper said. "It's pretty fun, too, when you can go over and work with the offensive line for a drill and hear some of Coach AJ's [Blazek] coaching points and Coach Basset's coaching points."
Cooper shouldered multiple responsibilities as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach last season. He set up positional meetings for his group, coordinated the offense and organized scripts.
All those activities contributed to less detail in drills last spring as opposed to this spring.
As the tight ends coach, Cooper emphasized blocking, an attribute with which Basset has been familiar due to his history as an offensive line coach.
"We brought someone in with a strong run game background, but also has experience with what we're trying to do in the pass game as well," Cooper said. "So, we're bringing in another really good football coach that's not just going to help the tight ends, he's helping the entire staff, special teams obviously, and other position groups."
The UCF offensive lineman allowed 20 sacks last season, ranking 10th in the Big 12. They also ranked 11th in rushing yards, averaging 158 yards per game.
Blocking is significant to protect the quarterback and open up gaps for the running backs.
Good blocking can create windows of opportunity for James Madison transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III to complete crucial throws, or Louisville transfer running back Duke Watson to move the chains with a big run.
However, what's most important when it comes to blocking is timing and discipline to prevent penalties. UCF led the Big 12 in penalties with 91 before bowl games, and it became detrimental to a struggling offense.
Now, with more experience because of returning players, the Knights have worked toward mitigating catastrophic mistakes.
"Here we are going into the weekend after one week of spring practice, feeling a lot better about knowing our assignments, knowing what we're supposed to do, and getting into detail," Cooper said. "Because of that, having firm feet, we should eliminate a lot of those catastrophic mistakes."
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