'Big boom': Germantown pass rusher DJ Allen chooses UCF, bolsters '24 recruiting class

DJ Allen hinted at a "big boom" for the Fourth of July, but the Germantown (Tenn.) pass rusher couldn't wait that long.

Instead, Allen moved up his commitment nearly three full weeks and joined UCF's suddenly surging 2024 football recruiting class Monday.

Allen, one of the Knights' nearly two-dozen official visitors for the weekend of June 2-4, picked UCF over Louisville, Purdue and Arkansas State. The ascending 6-foot-4, 230-pounder visited Louisville this past weekend, and was due to make a trip to Purdue on June 23.

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UCF has secured verbal commitments from three of its top high school targets in consecutive days; St. Thomas Aquinas running back Stacy Gage chose the Knights on Saturday, and Rockledge linebacker DJ McCormick followed suit on Sunday.

The Knights now have seven commits for the 2024 class, and are poised to crack the top 40 of 247Sports' composite team rankings. Allen is the first from outside the state of Florida, joining Gage, McCormick, Wekiva defensive lineman Sincere Edwards, Lincoln linebacker Sam Robinson, Bartram Trail quarterback Riley Trujillo and Armwood wide receiver Kason Stokes.

Allen built a strong bond with defensive ends/rush coach Kenny Ingram, a Memphis native who starred at Whitehaven and coached Melrose to a 37-4 overall record over three seasons before entering the college ranks.

"The education, the team, the family feel, I just feel like I could fit in," Allen told reporters at the conclusion of his UCF trip.

"The relationship with (Ingram) is great. When I first met him fact-to-face, we caught up on everything. … I got the feel of his vibe, and I really like his energy."

Focused solely on basketball until his sophomore year at Germantown, Allen blossomed as a junior with 14 sacks and 42 tackles, earning all-region and Memphis Commerical Appeal All-Metro honors as well as more than 30 Division I football offers. Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Allen is the No. 91 edge defender in the nation and the No. 49 overall player in Tennessee.

"We knew he was ready for a breakout year," Germantown football coach Gene Robinson III told the Commercial Appeal in February. "It started slow but he heated up as the season went on."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Big 12 Conference football: UCF picks up commitment from end DJ Allen