Former Ole Miss QB John Rhys Plumlee named UCF's starting quarterback

Former Ole Miss quarterback turned wide receiver John Rhys Plumlee is back to throwing the football at UCF, as he was named the starting signal caller for Gus Malzahn’s offense on Sunday.

It was a long journey for Plumlee to get back to slinging the rock, and the Knights made it official with a Twitter announcement.

QB1(0) pic.twitter.com/0CjzmviRlV

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 21, 2022

Plumlee saw the most time at quarterback for Ole Miss in 2019, throwing for 910 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, while also adding over 1,000 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. However, he only attempted eight passes in the past two seasons after transitioning to wide receiver. Last season, he caught 19 passes for 201 yards, and he had six catches for 79 yards last season.

Additionally, Plumlee also played on the Ole Miss baseball team during his time in Oxford. He made 47 appearances on the diamond for Ole Miss last season, starting 18 games in the outfield and hitting .267 with 21 runs, four doubles, one home run and seven runs batted in.

After biding his time and going through the transfer portal, John Rhys Plumlee is once again a starting quarterback. With Gus Malzahn calling the shots now, the sky is the limit for the multitalented athlete.

More on John Rhys Plumlee, UCF Knights

Moreover, Plumlee had a path to playing time right away at UCF, and it paid off. Former starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel left the program after he missed the majority of last season with injury for Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, Mikey Keene led the Knights in passing last season with 1,730 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Joey Gatewood only attempted eight passes, but he threw a touchdown and added another on the ground in addition to 142 rushing yards.

UCF finished with a 9-4 record this season, including a 5-3 record against AAC opponents. The Knights capped their season off with a 29-17 victory in the Gasparilla Bowl over the Florida Gators.

On the diamond, UCF went 31-30 last season, including an 18-14 mark in AAC play. The Knights made a run to the championship game in the AAC tournament, before ultimately falling to South Florida.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this article.