What's the latest focus for record-setting UCF tight end Dylan Wade?

ORLANDO — Returning home after spending two years at Maryland, Dylan Wade shattered UCF's single-season receiving records for a tight end.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Orlando native caught 43 passes for 523 yards and five touchdowns — all top marks since the Knights made the leap into the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996. He earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention and established himself as an offseason retention priority for Scott Frost and his staff.

"It wasn't something that changed me. After the season, it didn't make me move a different type of way. I'm still the same person, still the same guy," Wade said. "There's no pressure. It's a privilege, though."

Nov 22, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights tight end Dylan Wade (0) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Four of those scores came in the Knights' final three games, including a pair against Oklahoma State. That day, he racked up a career-high 120 yards on four grabs, doing so in front of his future position coach, Cooper Bassett.

"First play of the second half, seeing (UCF) flood for eligibles to the boundary and you see No. 0 streak up the field and break everybody's heart if you were wearing orange that day," said Bassett, previously an assistant for the Cowboys under Mike Gundy. "The weapon and the tool that he is, it's exciting to work with."

So what can Wade deliver as an encore to the hometown crowd?

He's expected to lock down the F position in UCF's scheme, split out in the slot or as an H-back in two-tight end sets. Wade hopes to exceed last year's totals when his number is called, but his focus for spring camp is less glamorous — getting stronger and improving as a run blocker.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wade had a 36.0 grade in that department last season on 103 rushing attempts while taking three penalties. UCF finished 11th in the Big 12 running the football at 158 yards per game.

Wade stands to benefit from the tutelage of Bassett, who coached offensive linemen the previous nine seasons at five schools (West Texas A&M, Southeast Missouri, Sam Houston, Utah State, Oklahoma State).

Oklahoma State Offensive Line coach Cooper Bassett watches players warm up before the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Iowa State Cyclones at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday Nov. 29, 2025.

"Everybody wants dessert first — the big catches, the touchdowns, the YAC, all the stuff like that. That's easy to work at on your own," Bassett said. "It's brushing your teeth every day — doing the boring, monotonous things every day that help you get good in the run game.

"Every day, we're working just boring, simple things like driving the second foot through the defender, great eyes to the target, great first (and) second step, rolling our hips through contact, all the little details, playing with our hands out front. … I can imagine as a tight end that you get told an O-line coach is about to come coach your position that you kind of roll your eyes because you think you're going to have a neck roll and a middle bar in your facemask before too long. But the guys have really taken to the details of run blocking, and it's showing."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: Record-setting tight end Dylan Wade ready for encore