UCF RB Duke Watson eager to prove after transferring from Louisville

Celebratory backflips are nothing new in sports. Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards used to perform them after taking the checkered flag, as did NFL standouts Khalen Saunders (New York Jets) and Orlando’s own Jeremiah Ledbetter (New York Giants). So when Duke Watson was asked to demonstrate a talent in front of his new teammates at UCF , the talented running back took it upon himself to showcase what he knows best.

“I flip. I only know how to do a backflip,” Watson said of his hidden talent. The former Louisville transfer was even willing to demonstrate it to a group of media members on hand following Friday’s practice, but was quickly stopped by a representative from the school’s sports information department, hoping to avoid what could be an unfortunate disaster.

Watson, 20, hopes to turn heads with the Knights after spending two seasons with the Cardinals, following a successful high school career at Forsyth (Ga. ) Mary Person High. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Watson rushed for 755 yards on 116 carries with 8 touchdowns in 19 games at Louisville.

After a strong freshman campaign, he suffered an ankle injury that limited him to just 158 yards in seven games last season. Knights’ safety Jayden Williams excited for do-over for senior season Watson entered the transfer portal in the offseason, and a familiar face reached out to him: Trent Mossbrucker . Mossbrucker, now UCF’s general manager of football player personnel, was formerly the recruiting coordinator at Louisville.