UCF’s Preston Cushman welcoming new leadership role on offensive line
When Preston Cushman first set foot on the UCF campus last season, he was eager to make a good impression in his new home. It didn’t take long for the 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive tackle from Ole Miss to blend into the Knights’ program and connect with the first-year coaching staff led by Scott Frost . Before long, Cushman secured his place on the depth chart, stepping up as the team’s new starting right tackle.
Now, a year later, Cushman returns for his final season, this time taking on the role of a veteran among a group of newcomers. “I know the cliches and the ins and outs of the facility and all the coaches and stuff like that, so it feels good standing out there knowing I’m one of the leaders this year,” said Cushman. “Everything I do, I feel, is being watched more this year and it feels good to know that I can set an example for the young guys and everyone around me.
” “The thing I noticed right away when you walk into the room is his stature,” said new offensive line coach AJ Blazak. “I’ve been in the Big 10 and the SEC; I’ve seen junior college and Division II and I grew up around the Big 12, but when you get here, you’re like Preston’s a big [expletive] kid. ” Cushman is the only regular returning starter on the offensive line from last season after the departures of Paul Rubelt , Gaard Memmelaar, Carter Miller and Keegan Smith.
Also gone are occasional starters Cam Kinnie and Jabari Brooks. While the St. Petersburg native led the group with 827 snaps, the Knights must make up for the loss of nearly 3,000 offensive snaps.
To do that, UCF added six new linemen in the offseason, including transfers Henry Tabansi, Tyler Gibson, Brady Wayburn, Cooper Terpstra and true freshmen Kasiyah Charlton and Amahn Williams. Those newcomers, along with a few returning backups in Connor Meadows, Camp Lott and Owen Spell, give the Knights their core group heading into the 2026 season. Will Stone’s journey as UCF’s new kicker and aspiring DJ The 22-year-old Cushman finds himself thrust into the role of being the leader of a new group of linemen, many of whom arrived as offseason transfers.