Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.So, with 25 days to go, let's meet UCF kicker defensive back Rukeem Stroud:Who is Rukeem Stroud?What did he do last season?What role is he going to have in 2026?1. Who is Rukeem Stroud?Position: Defensive BackClass: Redshirt FreshmanHeight/Weight: 5-foot-11 / 165 poundsHometown: Plant City, FloridaHigh School: Tampa Bay Technical High SchoolWhen Rukeem Stroud was scouted back in 2023 by 247Sports' Andrew Ivins, he was described as a "multi-year Power Five starter upside" and "must keep evolving as a player."According to 247Sports' timeline, Stroud initially committed to Wisconsin on June 2, 2024, which would have made him part of an Alex Grinch-led defense at the time. However, once UCF, a school he made an unofficial visit to back in September 2023, made him an offer a few weeks later, he flipped his commitment. This was all just under six months before Grinch would also end up joining the Knights as their defensive coordinator.2. What did he do last season?Stroud played in three games as a true freshman, allowing him to use a redshirt.3. What role is he going to have in 2026?With Stroud no longer needing to limit his playing time to qualify for a redshirt, his snap count could increase in 2026 in theory. However, he is also in a defensive back room that returned most of their contributors from last season: Demari Henderson, Jayden Bellamy, Antoine Jackson, Braeden Marshall and DJ Bell. Plus, it is also getting back Jayden Williams after an injury sidelined him for a majority of 2025 and added Ty Barturm, Matt Irwin and Jailen Duffie from the transfer portal.With such depth in the Knights' secondary, Stroud seems the most likely to only see action in a few games, particularly during the garbage time portion of a blowout game, similar to their wins against North Carolina A&T and West Virginia last season.Catch up on the rest of the list below:No. 26 Duke Watson and Elijah KeysNo. 27 Nicholas AntoineNo. 28 Matt IrwinNo. 29 Tyce PorcherNo. 30 Otis HardyNo. 31 Noah McGoughNo. 32 Matthew OcchipintiNo. 33 Phil PicciottiNo. 34 Jahleel CulbreathNo. 35 Agyeman AddaeNo. 36 Dylan BennettNo. 37 Rocklyn KelleyNo. 38 Jayden JenningsNo. 39 Andrea ParisiNo. 41 Bruno DallNo. 42 Artavius Jones and Chance NixonNo. 43 Kyle HicksNo. 45 Quentin HatchNo. 47 Arthur Kingdom and Sam PowellNo. 49 Atticus Bertrams and Donnell Johnson IIINo. 53 LaParka LangstonNo. 54 Cooper Terpstra and Trenton TurnerNo. 55 Jacob Maiava and Noah MercerNo. 56 Patrick RyanNo. 57 Camp LottNo. 58 Connor MeadowsNo. 61 Owen SpellNo. 66 Brady WayburnNo. 67 Noah SenkaNo. 68 Ethan HigginsNo. 70 RaiShaun McHaneyNo. 71 Amahn WilliamsNo. 72 Dominick CampbellNo. 73 Henry TabansiNo. 74 Matthew PrigmoreNo. 75 Tyler GibsonNo. 76 Justin RoyesNo. 77 Kasiyah CharltonNo. 78 Preston CushmanNo. 79 Daniel MarcellinusNo. 80 Elijah HardyNo. 81 Zack PalmerNo. 82 Jordyn BridgewaterNo. 83 Dylan BurkNo. 84 Thomas WadsworthNo. 85 Carson HinshawNo. 86 Chase HinshawNo. 87 Brooks HallNo. 88 Grayson BrousseauNo. 89 Caleb RollersonNo. 90 Mujahid JeffersonNo. 92 Jeffson LafontantNo. 93 Brad GurleyNo. 94 L A Jesse HarroldNo. 95 RJ Jackson Jr.No. 96 Anthony CoaxumNo. 97 Josh Schell and Mason DenabergNo. 98 Alhassan IddrissuNo. 99 Thomas CollinsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow