As we inch closer to the end of June and an explosion of commitments across college football (see below), there are a few notes that need to be addressed regarding UCF football recruiting and the greater landscape of recruiting within the state of Florida.
Prospects are visiting programs across the nation, and that fact does not seem to be slowing down at any point this week. Here are the items UCF fans should know.
Where are the Commitments?
Each day passes, and each day Division I the programs across the state of Florida go without commitments. Why are recruits not committing? Here’s a strong theory, and it is permeating across college football.
Recruits and college programs were away from one another for 15 months. That’s right, 15 months. Due to COVID-19, the NCAA did not allow in-person on-campus visits for recruits. Now that recruits can make those unofficial and official visits, they are putting in the frequent flyer miles.
Case in point, none of UCF, Florida, Florida State or Miami secured a public commitment since the beginning of June. Not one. All four of those institutions brought in numerous visitors between them.
Therefore, it’s fairly obvious that these young men are enjoying the visits and attempting to make up for lost time. Will there be commitments to each of these programs by the end of the month? Of course. That’s inevitable, but for now recruiting fans just need to watch what recruits post to their social media profiles and read the tea leaves.
There are a couple of prospects that left Bounce House Weekend that UCF should land sooner than later, but when those prospects are ready to announce their intentions, they will do so according to their own schedules. At that point, Inside The Knights will cover those commitments accordingly.
UCF Continues to Bring in Prospects for Visits
This entire month of June seems like one gigantic football recruiting weekend for the Knights. Every time one looks at Twitter or other social media outlets, there’s news of a prospect and/or a group of prospects visiting Orlando to take in the Knights.
That’s fantastic news because it means UCF football continues to host recruits and was not satisfied with just the 33 official visitors from Bounce House Weekend. This might sound like a broken record by the end of the month, but it will be the best redundancy that UCF fans could possibly listen to regarding their Knights during the month of June. Case in point, the Lakeland High School football program.
Dreadnaughts Enjoying Orlando
By the end of this month, perhaps the Lakeland football team will just move workouts to UCF’s campus. Seriously, it’s just incredible how many different times that Dreadnaughts’ prospects have ventured over to the UCF campus since the beginning of June. This factor should not be understated. It’s one of Florida’s top programs, and it’s one of the best programs for generating Division I talent.
From the 2020 recruiting class alone, Lakeland High School recruits signed with Clemson, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Coastal Carolina, Auburn, Iowa State, and Ohio. Obviously this is a program that UCF football wants to tap into, and it’s a local program located a mere 72 miles from the Bounce House, per Google Maps.
As UCF continues to mine the state of Florida, there’s no question that Lakeland will be one of the continuous stops for UCF coaches along the recruiting trail. UCF secured the commitment of Lakeland offensive tackle Miguel Maldonado already, and are in the race for his teammate, defensive end Keahnist Thompson as well.
As a future recruiting note, a 2024 Lakeland prospect to watch has already visited UCF’s campus. Just pack the name Von Brown away as a recruit UCF and a host of other programs will be watching develop over the course of the next three years.
Recruits Comment About UCF Visits
As recruits continually visit programs around the country, a couple of UCF visitors from Bounce House Weekend checked in with Inside The Knights to provide quick updates. It’s been a whirlwind for several of these teenagers, as they continuously go from one city to the next, so time has been limited for them. Still, it’s good to receive any possible feedback.
UCF football’s lone Texas prospect on campus for Bounce House Weekend would be D.J. Allen. The 5’11, 185-pound wide receiver is a touchdown waiting to happen anytime he latches onto a pass or takes a reverse around the corner.
Playing for Gladewater (Texas) High School, Allen is one of the best prep prospects the state of Texas has to offer. He unofficially visited UCF this past Saturday.
“It was fun,” Allen said of his unofficial visit to UCF on Saturday, June 12th. “Had a good time.”
Allen already visited Southern Cal (June 4) and an upcoming trip to Baylor (June 25) is set up. As for Allen the player, that’s just fun to watch. Allen’s explosiveness is incredible. One of those famed East Texas prospects that colleges flock to yearly, Allen’s speed and shiftiness is just fun to watch. Here are a couple of clips of Allen from this past season. As a personal fan of Allen’s playing style, look for more clips of Allen down the line, as well as a prospect breakdown of his game.
Final Thoughts
UCF football is moving right along with its recruiting efforts, and by July 4th weekend there should be some recruiting fireworks, i.e. verbal commitments. Until that point, just sit back and enjoy the continuous flow of recruiting information that comes out. The Knights are hitting the recruiting trail hard, and this is only the beginning.
Recent Articles:
Should UCF Football Consider Joining a Power Five Conference Like the Big XII?
Interview with Top UCF Football Prep Prospect Payton Kirkland
Recruiting Expectations Following UCF’s Bounce House Weekend
UCF Football Recruiting Looking for Versatile Linebackers
33 Prospects Make Visits to UCF Football
UCF Football’s Alabama Prep Connections Will Pay Dividends
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation
