UCF hall of famer and veteran coach Sean Beckton Sr. has returned to the program as an analyst, head coach Gus Malzahn announced.

Beckton begins his fourth stint on the Knights, after serving on staff from 2009-2017 as the program's tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator (2016-17), wide receivers (2012-15) and defensive backs coach from 2009-11. He was also wide receivers coach from 1996-2003, after working as a graduate assistant from 1992-93.

Beckton returns to the Black and Gold after most recently serving as the tight ends coach for five seasons at Nebraska from 2018-2022.

During his time as coach for UCF, Beckton has helped the Knights win four of the six conference championships in UCF history and claim the program’s two New Year’s Six bowl wins. Beckton also played a large role in the only unbeaten season in UCF history in 2017, when the Knights went 13-0 to complete the greatest two-year turnaround in NCAA history. As a player, Beckton concluded his career as UCF’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. He was one of the first two football players inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame.

Beckton coached one of Nebraska’s best tight ends while in Lincoln, as Austin Allen set the Huskers’ season tight end records with 38 receptions and 602 yards. He also set a school single-game record with 143 receiving yards at Wisconsin. Allen earned first-team all-conference honors and was the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year.  

Originally from Daytona Beach, Florida, Beckton was a star wide receiver at UCF from 1987-1990. He ended his career as the program’s all-time leader with 196 receptions and 2,493 receiving yards and was one of the first two football players to be enshrined in the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame. Against Texas Southern as a senior, Beckton scored a touchdown four different ways (passing, rushing, receiving and punt return).

Beckton earned his degree from UCF in liberal studies in 1993. He and his wife, Zorana, have one son, Sean Jr., and one daughter, Zaria. Sean Beckton Jr. is an assistant director of sports performance for the football program, and Zaria earned her degree from Nebraska in May of 2022.