Advertisement

UCF signs best recruiting class in school history

matt murschel, orlando sentinel
·3 min read

UCF capped its first season in the Big 12 by signing its highest-ranked recruiting class in school history during the start of National Signing Day’s early period on Wednesday.

The Knights signed 18 commitments, including a record 8 four-star recruits as part of the class that ranked No. 32 in the 247Sports composite rankings. The majority of the class was from Florida, with six players coming from Georgia and one apiece from South Carolina and Texas. Six of the 10 players from the state were from the Central Florida area.

The class finished third in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech and TCU.

Coach Gus Malzahn anticipates the Knights hosting a school-record 13 early enrollees in January.

Fab 5

DB Jaylen Heyward, Rockledge High School (Rockledge): Heyward (6-0, 185) was a two-way player at Rockledge High, where he finished with 1,108 all-purpose yards as a rusher and receiver while totaling 105 tackles, 7 interceptions, 17 passes defended, 7 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries in 39 games. He received offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Miami and Ohio State but stayed committed to the Knights.

OL Waltclaire Flynn Jr., Grayson High School (Loganville, Georgia): Flynn is the No. 19 overall interior offensive lineman in the 2024 class, having spent time at center and guard for the Rams. He and teammate Kylan Fox helped Grayson advance to the 7A state semifinals.

WR Kylan Fox, Grayson High School (Loganville, Georgia): The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Fox accounted for 766 receiving yards on 66 catches with 9 touchdowns in 32 games at Grayson High. “He’s basically like a big wide receiver on the outside that can create mismatch problems,” said Adam Gorney, national recruiting director of Rivals and Yahoo Sports.

WR Bredell Richardson, Carrollwood Day High School (Tampa): Richardson, a four-year player at Carrollwood Day, collected 133 catches for 2,586 yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games for the Patriots. He had career-highs in catches (68), receiving yards (1,248) and touchdowns (12) last season.

RB Stacy Gage, St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale): Gage remained committed to UCF despite having offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Georgia. He becomes the highest-ranked running back to sign with the Knights since Cordarrian Richardson (2017). At 5-10, 200 pounds, Gage has the build and speed to be a powerful downhill rusher who could instantly impact the lineup in 2024.

The rest

RB Frankie Arthur, Oak Ridge High School (Conroe, Texas)

LB Qua Birdsong, Troup County High School (LaGrange, Georgia)

DB Jakob Gude, Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Georgia)

WR Kason Stokes, Armwood High School (Seffner)

DL Marcus Downs, Riverside High School (Greer, South Carolina)

DB Christian Peterson, Westlake High School (Atlanta)

QB RileyTrujillo, Bartram Trail High School (Jacksonville)

DB Chasen Johnson, Seminole High School (Sanford)

LB Derrick McCormick, Rockledge High School (Rockledge)

QB EJ Colson, Cedar Grove High School (Ellenwood, Georgia)

DB Jashad Presley, Dr. Phillips High School (Orlando)

WR Jordyn Bridgewater, West Orange High School (Winter Garden)

OL Chase Malamala, The Benjamin School (North Palm Beach)

Got away: Ric’Darious Farmer, a four-star wide receiver from Melbourne Central Catholic, signed with West Virginia despite having been committed to UCF since Aug. 1. The 5-11, 180-pound standout was expected to be one of nine four-star players to sign with the Knights, but had a change of heart.

Malzahn: “All these guys are quality guys that can come in and be Big 12 ready. There’s no doubt about that. When recruiting, that’s what we ask ourselves with everybody we come across: ‘Can they help us win a Big 12 Championship?’ The great thing about this group is that they’re outstanding young men who’ll fit into our program and culture.”

Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.