When Jayden Bellamy signed with UCF as a transfer this offseason, the cornerback had no idea that he would be one of five players named Jayden on the Knights’ roster.
Joining him are running back Jaden Nixon, safeties Jayden Williams and Jaden Gould, and linebacker Jayden McDonald.
“There are a lot of Jaydens and we’ve got to rectify that next year as we look at transfers,” UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said jokingly.
In such a case, nicknames are essential.
What improvements does UCF want to see from Game 1 to Game 2?
“They usually call me by my last name,” said Bellamy. “They typically call Jayden Williams, Waldo or Jay Will. They call Jaden Gould, J.G. They call Jaden Nixon, Nixon and we call Jayden McDonald, Mickey D.”
Fortunately for Bellamy, he’s already starting to make a name for himself during his brief time at UCF.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Bellamy stepped up in a big way in the team’s season opener against Jacksonville State last Thursday, registering four tackles. However, it was his timely pass breakup on a crucial 3rd-and-10 in the final moments of the game, followed by an interception on 4th down, that ultimately secured the 17-10 victory for the Knights.
“It felt great to get a pick and then obviously a pass deflection,” said Bellamy. “But I feel like I could have played better. I let two catches that probably should have been pass deflections, but I could have been better, but it’s just the first game, so I’ll be better.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Bellamy was the top-graded (74.2) defensive back on the team and ranked among the top 10 cornerbacks in the Big 12. The redshirt junior was targeted six times during the opener, allowing just two catches for 17 yards.
This marked his third career interception, with the first two occurring during his time at Syracuse.
His timely takeaway didn’t surprise his coaches.
“He plays very confidently. That’s one of those positions where you obviously want confidence at every level of your defense, but certainly at cornerback. It doesn’t seem like when the ball is in the air that surprises him,” explained Grinch.
UCF’s QB situation remains uncertain heading into Game 2
UCF limited Jacksonville State to completing just 53% (16 of 30) of its passes for 157 yards. The Gamecocks had five passing plays of 15 or more yards, but nothing over 20 yards.
It’s a strong start for a unit that features three new starters (Bellamy, Williams and Phillip Dunnam) meshed with returners Braeden Marshall and cornerback Antione Jackson.
The secondary, as a whole, was targeted 23 times while only allowing 13 receptions (57%).
“We just kept playing fast and we kept playing physical,” Bellamy said of the defense’s approach throughout the game. “We didn’t really know what they were going to do because they had a whole new coaching staff. Our coaches told us just to read our keys because they’re never going to lie to you and just play hard and physical.”
Bellamy appeared in 23 games during his two seasons at Syracuse after transferring from Notre Dame. He finished with the second-best coverage grade in the Orange’s secondary last season after allowing 23 catches on 37 targets.
He’s one of seven transfers joining the roster this season.
“We’re all old enough. I’ve played a lot of football, so I feel like we all know what it is when we get in the game. You don’t really have to have a pep talk for us or anything like that,” Bellamy said.
The confidence among the group carries over onto the field.
“We’ve all got swagger,” said Bellamy. “Mine is a little different. I’m laid-back and chill, and I’ll talk a little trash. Antoine is a more talkative person, as is DJ Bell. B-Marsh [Brandon Marshall] and Phil [Dunnam], they’re more like me and chill.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
