Portal Profile: UCF RB Stacy Gage

By Hunt Palmer

Fall camp might look like the old days.

As the Tigers begin offseason workouts, there are six scholarship running backs on the roster. After the last two seasons, a little depth is a welcome sight.

Trey Holly’s legal case drug on for over a year in Union Parish. He eventually enrolled at Southern and joined the Jaguars program. Then, JT Lindsey turned himself in to authorities in an accessory case and was away from the team for six months. He was not charged formally and hit the transfer portal.

Those off field issues forced Ju’Juan Johnson to make the move to running back twice. He elected to transfer to Syracuse in January. Kaleb Jackson bolted for North Carolina.

Numbers were thin. Again.

But Lane Kiffin and Billy Glasscock went to work to restock the shelves, and that has been done despite Kewan Lacy’s decision to stay at Ole Miss as opposed to following his position coach Kevin Smith to Baton Rouge.

The depth was just fine with five backs, but Stacy Gage of UCF decided to make it six.

WHAT WE KNOW

Gage played for three Florida high schools in four years. He began his prep career at IMG Academy, transferred to Wharton High School in Tampa as junior, and finished in Fort Lauderdale at St. Thomas Aquinas.

He was a four-star back according to Rivals and inked with UCF where he’s spent the last two seasons. In 2024, he redshirted after playing in three games. Last year he saw action in eight games and ran for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Gage is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 lbs. He’s got three seasons of eligibility remaining.

THE FIT

Gage probably fits better into the program than the 2026 roster.

With Caden Durham and Harlem Berry back, it feels like the top of the depth chart is solidified. Dilin Jones has starting experience at Wisconsin. He could be third.

Gage fits in behind that group with Rod Gainey and Raycine Guillory.

All six guys are talented backs. Their builds are fairly similar, as well. None of the six are north of 210 lbs. Durham and Guillory are on the shorter side. Berry and Gainey are leaner. None of the backs really profiles as a “power back”. In that way, it doesn’t feel like the old days, but the numbers have been overhauled, and Gage, like Guillory, Gainey and Jones, has at least three years left to play. So does Berry.

HUNT’S PROJECTION

I think Berry and Durham dominate the workload on this team with Jones next up on the depth chart.

As for Gage, the most obvious trait he displays in his high school tape is how hard he runs. He’s constantly crashing into defenders and churning his legs. He may not possess the straight-line speed that Berry or Durham do, but he is not afraid to lower his pads.

Projecting college football rosters years in advance is a fool’s errand, so I won’t do that. I will say, LSU now has a stable of backs that can better handle hits to the depth. Not a single one of the six backs on scholarship will exhaust his eligibility in 2026.

That’s a healthy place for the room to be for a coaching staff that has run the ball brilliantly at Ole Miss over the last six years.