UCF Lands Four-Star Wide Receiver

Four-star wide receiver Tyren Hornes is coming to UCF, he said at the Under Armour Next All-America Game on Saturday night in DeLand.

Following his commitment announcement, official UCF social media accounts posted about Hornes, indicating he had signed with the program. According to 247Sports/CBS Sports' Tom Loy, this is because Hornes had already signed with the Knights during the early signing period back in December, but the move was "kept quiet" so he could make his announcement on Saturday. This makes him the 14th, and highest-rated, member of the Knights' 2026 high school signing class.

"I felt like I could go in there and compete and get on the field early, and I had a good relationship with the coaches and the players, and it's go time," Hornes said in his announcement on ESPN.

Tyren Hornes, roll the tape🎥🏈 https://t.co/NtP7vPZwNe pic.twitter.com/FBBLEdAX7C
— UCF Football Recruiting (@UCF_Recruiting) January 3, 2026

While Hornes' Team Pearls lost the Under-Armour Next All-America Game, 23-9, the wide receiver did catch the game's first touchdown on a 24-yard catch from Texas A&M commit Jayce Johnson. He actually ended up finishing as the game's leading receiver, catching three of his four targets for 68 yards and that touchdown. Of those 68 yards, 51 of them were yards after catch.

"I came out here to come compete and show them why I belong, got here, and I did my thing," Hornes said. "I got more to go."

Tyren Hornes finds the end zone to open the scoring 😤

Find out where the 4-star WR will commit coming up on the Under Armour Next All-America Game 👀 pic.twitter.com/696a2siggx
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 3, 2026

Previously known as Tyren Wortham, Hornes is the No. 170th highest-ranked overall recruit in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. He was initially committed to the Knights back in April, but shortly after visiting Michigan State, he flipped to the Spartans on June 22.

Hornes, a Bradenton native, came into this game off his senior high school season that saw Booker High School go on a run to the semifinals before falling to the eventual champion, Raines. According to MaxPreps, he caught 54 passes for 802 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also factored into the rushing game for the first time in his high school career, getting 11 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Andrew Ivins, Director of Scouting at 247 Sports, evaluated Hornes on Nov. 21 and projected him as "a dynamic No. 2 option at the Power Four level that can get open at all three levels and handle a high volume of targets." He also described him as an "advanced route runner with noticeable juice in the lower half that can make extremely difficult catches while also capitalizing on his catch-and-run opportunities."

Hornes said "big plays" from him at the collegiate level.

"It's wonderful," Hornes' mother, Jessica, said. "Just seeing him as a young kid, always been a football player, always been a star, and to see him do this is amazing. It's amazing."

For more insights on Hornes' addition to the team, check out the UCF Knights on SI's Early Signing Day Tracker here.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

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Another UCF Quarterback Enters Transfer Portal