DayDay Farmer flips from Pittsburgh to UCF before senior year at Melbourne Central Catholic

UCF landed the latest blow in its unlikely, ongoing recruiting war with Pittsburgh by plucking the Panthers' top-rated wide receiver commit Tuesday.

Ric'Darious "DayDay" Farmer, a consensus four-star prospect at Melbourne Central Catholic, flipped his commitment to the Knights and becomes the second wide receiver in the 2024 class alongside Armwood's Kason Stokes.

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Farmer, who previously committed to Pitt on Christmas Day, led Class 2S champion Cocoa last season with 63 receptions, 938 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder carried the ball 14 times for 60 yards and another touchdown as a Wildcat quarterback during his junior season.

"It's a family decision, staying close to home. From a football standpoint, it's a free type of offense with lots option routes. That's what I like about (UCF)," Farmer said. "The coaches all seem real and all like me a lot. They said I am really high on their wide receiver board."

Andrew Ivins, 247Sports' director of scouting, describes Farmer as a "productive inside receiver that excels in catch-and-run situations" and who "wins time and time again with strong hands and crafty route running."

Last month, UCF flipped Seminole cornerback Chasen Johnson away from Pittsburgh's recruiting class. The Panthers, meanwhile, are actively pursuing Wekiva defensive lineman Sincere Edwards, who backed off his commitment to the Knights ahead of his June 22 official visit to the Steel City.

UCF has now pulled two prospects out of Brevard County as Farmer joins Rockledge linebacker DJ McCormick. The Knights are heavily involved in the recruitment of former Georgia commit and top-100 national safety Jaylen Heyward, bringing him in for an official visit on June 16 and for the Knight Splash event last weekend.

"It'll be like little league. We won a Super Bowl together," Farmer said. "Now we want to win a national championship together."

Farmer becomes UCF's sixth consensus four-star commit of the summer, joining the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson duo of tight end Kylan Fox and interior offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas running back Stacy Gage, Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County linebacker Qua Birdsong and Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes defensive back Jakob Gude.

UCF moved up to 39th in the overall team recruiting standings according to 247Sports' composite scores. The Knights began the month in the No. 44 spot.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football recruiting: DayDay Farmer spurns Pitt, commits to Knights