National Signing Day: Industry experts break down UCF's historic 2024 recruiting class

TAMPA — The ink is dry, and the letters are sent. UCF broke new ground Wednesday with its highest-ranked recruiting class in program history, sitting in and around the top-30 across the four major services (247Sports, On3 Sports, Rivals and ESPN).

Eight of the 18 players signed are classified as four-star, or blue-chip, recruits — headlined by defensive back Jaylen Heyward, interior offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr. and tight end Kylan Fox, all of whom are the top-ranked signees in UCF history at their respective positions.

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"It starts in-state. The first press conference I had when I got the job, I said we're going to start here in Florida. We've been committed to that, and building it the right way with high school guys," Malzahn said. "You see a lot of these programs, it's portal-heavy and that's what they choose to do. We're going to build this with a foundation, and our foundation is going to be Florida high school players."

With Wednesday's festivities finished, it's time to evaluate and dig a little deeper with the assistance of industry experts.

The News-Journal spoke earlier this week to five analysts — Rivals national college football recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr., Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney, 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins, USA Today Florida Sports Network writer Jon Santucci and 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong — to break down the Knights' newest additions.

What stands out most about this UCF class?

Garcia: I think it's probably the geography. You've got your nice balance of four-stars and three-stars, sure, and some of those guys are headliners. But 16 of the 18 guys are from Florida and Georgia, pipeline states. That's pretty ideal for a program like UCF. And we always assume that the transfer portal is going to be big for someone like Gus Malzahn. For what UCF wants to do, you want to leave as much room as possible while addressing needs.

Gorney: What stands out most is that a lot of kids could have gone to 'bigger Florida schools,' and they went to UCF. It says a lot about Gus Malzahn. He does such a good job recruiting kids, and the atmosphere is really impressive there. They're not going to take a back seat to anyone.

Ivins: It's going to be the highest-ranked recruiting class ever for them in the modern era. When you open up the hood and look at the parts, you see guys that are going to make them competitive in the Big 12 ... Another interesting wrinkle is for them to take two quarterbacks, digging into EJ Colson and his season. It's low-risk and ensures that they are getting him. There's a good chance if he remained in the 2025 class that other schools would have made a move on him.

Santucci: They are getting guys that you wouldn't have pegged them to be able to get. When you look at Jaylen Heyward, Bredell Richardson, six months ago, that might have seemed like a pipe dream. And they got more than a few of those guys. They were in the mix for Eddy (Pierre-Louis) for a long time. I feel like they closed on some really good players. And that's what (Malzahn) has done since he's gotten there — sign some guys that would make you think, 'Really?'

Wiltfong: Obviously they're on the fringe of a top-25 recruiting class right now. When you look within their conference, the Big 12, they're No. 2 in their league. Pound-for-pound, it's one of the strongest classes. If UCF continues to stack classes like this, they'll be one of the most talented teams in the Big 12, year in and year out.

Question 2: Who is the best player to sign with UCF today?

Garcia: If you look at it from a Rivals 250 rankings perspective, we've got Bredell Richardson as the top guy. Big, electric wide receiver out of the Tampa area who had a great, great senior season — to the point where we wondered who would come back around and try to poach him from UCF. At one point, Bredell's offer list was as national as it got — LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan State were all in there.

Gorney: Jaylen Heyward. He's a big-time defensive back, had been committed to Georgia but backed off. UCF was in on him the whole way. He's exactly what Georgia likes in defensive backs, a rocked-up-muscle kid who likes to hit.

Ivins: I think when I look at the list, those running backs are solid takes for the Big 12, Frankie Arthur and Stacy Gage.

Santucci: Probably Bredell Richardson. He's a guy that I think can do a lot of things in an offense. He is a versatile receiver and emerged as a top option on a team with Izaiah Williams and Anthony Carrie, and that's a team in my mind that was one game away from playing in a state championship.

Wiltfong: I think you just look at the offensive skill players off the bat — Frankie Arthur and Kylan Fox ... Those are some playmakers at the high school level, and they should be at the college level as well.

Question 3: Who is a potential hidden gem in this group?

Garcia: Kason Stokes is incredibly interesting. His brother was a safety at Ohio State. Really great frame on him that can evolve as he polishes up. He's raw, athletic, talented, fast, has great body control and ball skills. As he acquires the technical aspects of the position and dives into those intricacies, he could become just as critical down the line as a Bredell Richardson, and maybe be the complement to him.

Gorney: Frankie Arthur is the kid I would look at. He's big, strong and happens to be Adrian Peterson's brother. There's no question he comes from big stock. If you're looking for a between-the-tackles runner, he's big, hard to take down and has good pedigree.

Ivins: Chasen Johnson. Seminole, as a program, has given UCF the two Henderson twins. I know Eric Lodge has left there, but those are kids coming out of there are ready to go and coached up really well. He's got the size, and he is sticky out there. You could look up in a few years and think he's pushing for a spot in the rotation. It's a good fit for UCF, and they have made it crystal clear since Gus took over that they want to take the top guys out of Central Florida's best high school programs.

Santucci: DJ McCormick. There's no hesitation about that answer. He is really good. Rockledge had a lot of dudes on that team, so I feel like for the last couple of years that he has been overlooked. He has good length and should be a good linebacker for that team. I think he's a steal.

Wiltfong: You look at a guy like Marcus Downs at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, he's built like an SEC player at the point of attack. He's got the size and length coveted. He can play in a three-man front on the edge or in the middle.

Question 4: Which uncommitted player should UCF target in February?

Garcia: I'm still waiting to hear back from Tyreek'e Robinson from Bradenton (Manatee) if he's signing or not. If he's available, I'd certainly go after him. ... I think Amaree Williams, who just reclassified, is going to wait until February. He'd be the second- or third-highest ranked guy (for UCF) if he were to jump on board ... Camren Campbell from Tampa Bay Tech, if he doesn't sign with Michigan State ... Oh, and maybe Brayshon Williams from Lakeland.

Gorney: One I would take a look at is Brayshon Williams from Lakeland. I don't know if he is going to sign, it's unclear right now. But the kid can play. He comes from a school with a lot of talent.

Question 5: How can UCF take the next step and further climb the rankings?

Garcia: Now actually being in the Power Five, you're just seeing the requisite bump that you should. The question was always going to be, 'What if they were able to pitch the Power Five to Orlando?' Now, they can and you're seeing immediate results from your two most important states. Really, it's going to probably translate to what it always has: on the field. A little bit more winning, now that you are at that level, will always help. And then secondarily, something that they have embraced as much as anyone, is the NIL deals. It's the elephant in the room, more of a stronger perception with the NIL possibilities there at UCF combined with that on-field bump are going to be what makes a top-25 class, a top-15 class or better in the next couple cycles.

Gorney: There's actually good news here. They are recruiting at the highest level after a 6-6 season. People are buying into this and like the direction of the program. And Oklahoma and Texas are leaving the conference, so it gets markedly easier to win games.

Ivins: It's hard to really poke holes in this class. UCF seems to be pretty aligned, both internally and externally, when it comes to the NIL stuff. And that's a huge benefit. The biggest obstacle that they will have to clear is stringing together success in the new-look Big 12. Throughout the year, they got a lot of high-profile guys on campus. There were some defections, but the cure for that is on-field success because UCF has ramped it up in the other areas that matter right now in college football.

Santucci: Win. I mean, seriously. It sounds stupid, but this is a team that has recruited higher than they have played the last couple years, which is a great statement to what that staff has done. But they were .500 this year. They won nine in 2022 and '21. They're close. They have to win those Power Five games. … When you win 10 games, beat Florida or Miami, you're going to have recruits walk away from those games and think, 'I want to play there.' If you want to break into the top-15, you're going to have to put a couple of 10-win seasons together.

Wiltfong: They've got a chance to get into the top-30. When I look at Wisconsin, Texas Tech, teams in the back end of the top-25, that's probably their ceiling. If they are able to take these recruiting wins into 10- or 11-win seasons, you could maybe see them moving up. I think they are capable of winning a few blue-chip battles per year, but I think they are a program that will try to evaluate well, develop well and scheme well.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football: Recruiting experts break down Knights '24 class