Meet the new Knights: UCF football lands 18 high school recruits on early signing day

TAMPA — UCF put the finishing touches on its highest-ranked recruiting class ever Wednesday.

Eight of the 18 players to sign with the Knights on the opening day of the early period are regarded nationally as four-star, or blue-chip, recruits. That number surpasses the total number of four-star athletes signed between 2015-23.

UCF signed six of its top 25 all-time recruits according to 247Sports' composite rankings, including its highest-rated defensive back, offensive lineman and tight end ever. Thirteen players, Malzahn said, are expected to enroll next month.

Transfer portal tracker: Who's leaving, joining UCF football for 2024?

"All these guys are quality guys that can come in and be Big 12-ready," Knights coach Gus Malzahn said. "When we're recruiting, that's exactly what we are asking ourselves with everybody that we come across.

"We don't just take anyone. We do our homework, not just on our athletic ability but the type of person they are and the character they have, and then the fit within our program."

There was one surprise loss, however, as Melbourne Central Catholic wide receiver DayDay Farmer pulled a signing day switch to Big 12 rival West Virginia. Farmer, a consensus four-star prospect, previously committed to Pittsburgh in December 2023, and then UCF in August.

Listed below, in alphabetical order, is the Knights' full high school signing class.

Frankie Arthur, RB, Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge

• Height: 5-10

• Weight: 200

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8955 (4 stars, No. 392 overall, No. 32 RB)

• 2023 Stats: 175 carries, 1,299 rushing yards, 17 TDs; 69 receiving yards, 1 TD

Buzz: The half-brother of former NFL superstar Adrian Peterson, Arthur emerged as a priority target in the summer for UCF running backs coach Kam Martin. He clocked a personal-best 100-meter dash time of 10.6 seconds in March, according to Milesplit.

Qua Birdsong, LB, LaGrange (Ga.) Troup County

• Height: 6-2

• Weight: 195

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8925 (4 stars, No. 427 overall, No. 35 LB)

• 2023 Stats: 63 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1½ sacks, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles

Buzz: UCF snatched Birdsong from its biggest conference rival, Cincinnati, in July. A downhill thumper who can bring heat as a blitzer, Birdsong is the first of three athletes who will represent the Knights at the Under Armour Next All-America Game on Jan. 3 at Camping World Stadium.

Jordyn Bridgewater, WR, Winter Garden West Orange

• Height: 6-0

• Weight: 160

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8478 (3 stars, No. 1,569 overall, No. 179 WR)

• 2023 Stats: 30 receptions, 435 yards, 3 TDs; 11 carries, 70 yards

Buzz: Bridgewater burst onto the scene as a primary weapon at West Orange in 2022, averaging 22.5 yards per catch with nine touchdowns. Raised near Orlando, Bridgewater picked UCF over Pittsburgh and Tulane.

EJ Colson, QB, Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove

• Height: 6-0

• Weight: 190

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8819 (3 stars, No. 594, No. 38 QB)

• 2023 Stats: 182-for-285 (63.8% completion rate), 2,634 passing yards, 31 TDs, 1 INT; 868 rushing yards, 6 TDs

Buzz: A day after leading Ellen Grove to the Georgia AAA high school football title, with Malzahn and offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw in attendance, Colson chose to reclassify from the 2025 graduating class and will enroll in the summer. In 29 starts, Colson totaled 6,620 yards of total offense and accounted for 74 touchdowns.

Marcus Downs, DT, Greer (S.C.) Riverside

• Height: 6-5

• Weight: 285

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8811 (3 stars, No. 607 overall, No. 67 DL)

• 2023 Stats: 37 tackles (20 solo), 6 TFLs, 3 sacks

Buzz: UCF branched out from its Florida-Georgia stronghold to snatch Downs, one of South Carolina's top players. Previously committed to Georgia Tech, Downs also considered Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Miami.

Waltclaire Flynn Jr., IOL, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson

• Height: 6-2

• Weight: 305

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: .9057 (4 stars, No. 303 overall, No. 20 IOL)

• 2023 Stats: MaxPreps second-team All-American; Helped Grayson average 415.0 yards and 32.6 points per game

Buzz: Flynn, who will play in the All-American Bowl on Jan. 6 in San Antonio, becomes the highest-ranked offensive lineman to sign in program history. He was the first of six Georgia recruits to commit to the Knights in the month of July.

Kylan Fox, TE, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson

• Height: 6-5

• Weight: 220

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.9047 (4 stars, No. 311, No. 21 TE)

• 2023 Stats: 28 receptions, 384 yards, 7 TDs;

Buzz: One of the Knights' marquee official visitors on the opening weekend of June, Fox committed to the Knights over the likes of Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss. Mississippi State, which recently appointed former UCF offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as head coach, made a late charge, but the Under Armour All-American canceled an official visit this past weekend.

Stacy Gage, RB, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas

• Height: 5-10

• Weight: 205

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.9013 (4 stars, No. 343 overall, No. 28 RB)

• 2023 Stats: 55 carries, 395 yards, 6 TDs; 4 receptions, 39 yards

Buzz: Martin's top recruiting priority was to land a commitment from Gage, who won a Class 3M state title at St. Thomas Aquinas. Gage shared the backfield with Miami commit Jordan Lyle during his senior season, but ran for 704 yards and 14 TDs as a junior at Wharton High in Tampa.

Jakob Gude, DB, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes

• Height: 6-1

• Weight: 185

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8942 (4 stars, No. 409 overall, No. 42 S)

• 2023 Stats: 46 tackles (26 solo), 2 INT (1 TD return)

Buzz: A state champion during his junior year at Sandy Creek, Gude said he underwent shoulder surgery in October after playing in six games at Langston Hughes. He can play at safety or the nickel, and also had Alabama, Florida, Ohio State and Oregon in his top five.

Jaylen Heyward, DB, Rockledge

• Height: 6-0

• Weight: 180

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.9216 (4 stars, No. 201 overall, No. 20 S)

• 2023 Stats: 22 tackles (14 solo), 2 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries; 431 scrimmage yards, 3 TDs; 82-yard blocked field goal return TD

Buzz: Heyward originally committed to Georgia in January but defensive coordinator Addison Williams and defensive backs coach David Gibbs continued to push for the Under Armour All-American throughout the summer, completing the flip on Aug. 8. Projected by some recruiting services as a safety, Heyward will more likely see reps at cornerback in Williams' scheme.

Chasen Johnson, CB, Sanford Seminole

• Height: 6-1

• Weight: 180

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8622 (3 stars, No. 1,110 overall, No. 93 CB)

• 2023 Stats: 18 tackles (9 solo), 4 PBUs, 1 forced fumble

Buzz: Seminole High has been a stronghold for UCF since Malzahn arrived, landing linebacker Kam Moore and twin defensive backs Demari and Ja'Cari Henderson in the 2022 cycle. Johnson flipped from Pittsburgh a week after his June 16 official visit.

Chase Malamala, OT, North Palm Beach Benjamin

• Height: 6-7

• Weight: 310

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8431 (3 stars, No. 1,694 overall, No. 133 OT)

• 2023 Stats: Started at left tackle for Benjamin, which averaged 6.4 yards per rushing attempt and qualified for the FHSAA Class 1M playoffs

Buzz: The second-generation offensive lineman — father Siupeli played for the University of Washington and the New York Jets — has the length, bloodlines and athleticism of a Power Five tackle. Malamala opened holes the last two seasons for Georgia running back commit Chauncey Bowens.

DJ McCormick, LB, Rockledge

• Height: 6-1

• Weight: 200

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8689 (3 stars, No. 905 overall, No. 81 LB)

• 2023 Stats: 114 tackles (64 solo), 2½ sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 INT

Buzz: McCormick averaged 110 tackles in three seasons as a starter for the Raiders. He canceled planned summer visits to Kansas and Pittsburgh in mid-June, effectively shutting down his recruitment due to the proximity to home and his relationship with linebackers coach Ernie Sims.

Christian Peterson, S, Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake

• Height: 5-11

• Weight: 185

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8819 (3 stars, No. 594, No. 61 S)

• 2023 Stats: 14 tackles (7 solo), 2 INT; 17 receptions, 196 yards, 4 TDs

Buzz: Hailing from the same high school as his future defensive coordinator, Peterson capped UCF's streak of summer success in the Peach State when he committed July 8. A versatile defender with exceptional ball skills, Peterson graduated last week and will enroll in January.

Jashad Presley, S, Orlando Dr. Phillips

• Height: 6-2

• Weight: 195

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8622 (3 stars, No. 1,110 overall, No. 95 LB)

• 2023 Stats: 29 tackles (11 solo), 1 forced fumble

Buzz: UCF prevailed in a head-to-head recruiting battle with Friday's Gasparilla Bowl opponent Georgia Tech when Presley committed to the hometown Knights. He is expected to be molded into a weakside linebacker with his frame and ability to cover in space.

Bredell Richardson, WR, Tampa Carrollwood Day

• Height: 6-0

• Weight: 190

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.9014 (4 stars, No. 341 overall, No. 57 WR)

• 2023 Stats: 68 receptions, 1,248 yards, 12 TDs

Buzz: Averaging nearly 125 receiving yards per game, Richardson starred in a Carrollwood Day offense that also features fellow Power Five prospects Anthony Carrie and Izaiah Williams. UCF swooped in, in August after he revealed an initial final four of LSU, Michigan, Michigan State and Oregon.

Kason Stokes, WR, Seffner Armwood

• Height: 6-2

• Weight: 180

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8700 (3 stars, No. 874 overall, No. 118 WR)

• 2023 Stats: 15 receptions, 237 yards, 3 TDs

Buzz: Stokes possesses the the attriubutes to play outside, and will be asked to stretch the field vertically. As a junior, he averaged 24.8 yards per catch with six scores. Stokes could soon go head-to-head with older brother Kye, who recently committed to Cincinnati after leaving Ohio State via the transfer portal.

Riley Trujillo, QB, St. Johns Bartram Trail

• Height: 6-4

• Weight: 215

• 247Sports Composite Ranking: 0.8736 (3 stars, No. 782 overall, No. 47 QB)

• 2023 Stats: 95-for-181 (52.5% competion rate), 1,510 passing yards, 13 TDs, 4 INTs; 87 carries, 685 yards, 4 TDs

Buzz: Trujillo's stock skyrocketed last January after a dominant performance at the National Combine in San Antonio. A three-year starter and dual-threat, Trujillo amassed more than 6,000 yards of total offense and led Bartram Trail to 25 wins.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: 18 new Knights sign during football national signing day