Last spring, UCF tight end Alec Holler had yet to make a name for himself on the field.

The Winter Park native soon changed that earning a scholarship over the summer and catching 19 passes for 192 yards with 3 touchdowns in Gus Malzahn’s first year in Orlando.

Holler had gone from walk-on special-teams player to lead tight end and starting eight times while playing in every game for the Knights.

Another change in his UCF career is underway this spring.

“I feel like I’m taking more of a leadership role in the tight room,” Holler said.

Although Holler has been at UCF the longest compared to the rest of the tight ends, he’s joined this season by another tight end with plenty of experience — Kemore Gamble, a transfer from the University of Florida.

Gamble came to UCF for his final season of college football after 5 seasons in Gainesville.

“He’s explosive and super athletic,” Holler said about Gamble. “He’s a great pass-catcher and is going to be physical.”

Gamble caught 4 touchdowns last season, which was tied for the most on the Gators with receiver Jacob Copeland, and finished third in receiving with 31 catches for 414 yards. He averaged 13.5 yards per reception.

“He’s going to be a great addition to the tight end room,” Holler said.

As Holler is teaching the ins and outs of UCF’s offense to Gamble, Holler is learning parts of the game from his new teammate as well.

“He’s actually helped me a lot with some route-running and some stuff that I’ve never thought of before,” Holler said.

Another new face to the tight end group is true freshman Grant Stevens — an early enrollee from Ponte Vedra Beach’s Nease High who caught 17 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns his senior season.

“He’s kind of similar to Kemore,” Holler said. “He’s a great route-runner. We’re still working on learning the offense and stuff like that because he’s [supposed to be] still in high school.”

Holler sees a bright future for Stevens.

“He’s going to be a great player,” Holler said. “I think he can really be the future of the tight end room.”

As Holler becomes a leader this spring for Stevens and Gamble as well the rest of the group, he’s working to improve himself.

Holler said he’s trying to put on more muscle and be more physical of a blocker. Holler said he weighs 240 pounds and has put on about 5 since the end of last season.

“I’m very technical with my footwork but I need to be able to displace dudes to be able to get holes open for [Isaiah] Bowser, Johnny [Richardson], and all of the other running backs,” he said.

Holler works under tight ends coach and special-teams coordinator Brian Blackmon, who is a role model for him.

“He’s someone I can sit down with and talk about life or football,” Holler said. “He’s really good about teaching the little things, like the footwork. He fits me really well as a coach. I love working with him.”

With Blackmon guiding the group and Holler establishing himself as a leader, Holler feels confident about the direction of the tight ends.

“I think the tight end room has made huge steps this spring,” Holler said. “Everyone’s been playing at a different level.”

Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.

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