Inside The Knights

National Signing Day: UCF Football Signee Updates

Throughout National Signing Day, Inside The Knights will update each player that signs with UCF right here.
Brian Smith|
National Signing Day: UCF Football Signee Updates
National Signing Day: UCF Football Signee Updates

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UCF Knights

National Signing Day is here. All the recruitments, camps, combines, unofficial and official visits lead to prospects signing a National Letter of Intent with one school. UCF will be signing the high school players that are committed to the program today. For more specific details about the actual process and the press conferences, check out this article published last night for full details:

National Signing Day Expectations, UCF Knights

Once a prospect signs with the Knights, this article will be updated with information about that player. All day long, there will be updates with time stamps.

Look for udates about players signing to start before 9 a.m. With that in mind, a quick update already posted to Twitter:

7:03 a.m. Here's the first signee of the day, Tyler Griffin, a wide receiver from Brooklet (Ga.) Southeast Bulloch). Griffin is a phenomenal athlete that's also an incredible basketball player. Scouting him on the basketball court actually helped to elevate his recruiting grade. He's the big-bodied wide receiver that plays to the boundary and receives one-on-one coverage most of the time. Good luck to those cornerbacks.

7:04 a.m. The second signature came in and it was Keahnist Thompson of Lakeland (Fla.) High School. He's one of the nation's best defensive ends.

7:06 a.m. The third update is Defefnsive Lineman Jamaal Johnson from Plantation (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna. He's another much needed defensive end recruit that was targeted early by the UCF coaching staff. Johnson comes from a program that's won four state titles in the last five years.

7:07 a.m. The fourth signee is running back recruit Jordan McDonald from Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton. He's a recruit that UCF battled to get away from Tennessee before making his mind up to come to Orlando. He is a power running back that is in the mold of current UCF running back Isaiah Bowser. 

7:08 a.m. The fifth is Thomas Castellanos, the multi-threat quarterback from Waycross (Ga.) Ware County. He's one of the most explosive athletes in the country regardless of position. 

7:12 a.m. A transfer has signed with the Knights. Offensive Lineman Tylan Grable comes to UCF from Jacksonville State University. He was only 240-pounds coming out of high school, but now he's listed at 6'7", 290-pounds by the Jacksonville State Athletic website.

7:14 a.m. The Knights flip Xavier Townsend from the Cyclones. One of the fastest and most versatile players in the greater Central Florida area, Townsend comes to UCF from Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep. He could play wide receiver or running back, and he's also a return specialist.

7:23 a.m. As usual, UCF Head Football Coach is in a good mood. He's getting around much better, too.

7:32 a.m. One of the most underrated recruits in the Sunshine State, TJ Bullard of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep. The athletic defender could play multiple positions for the Knights, but he's likely to end up at linebacker long term.

7:58 a.m. Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz wide receiver Quan Lee has joined the fold for the UCF Football program. One of the most dynamic receivers in Florida, Lee brings explosive skills to the gridiron. He's one of the nation's best players after the catch, and he's capable of scoring on a reverse, screen, or just running by defensive backs with pure speed. His hand-eye coordination is truly elite.

8:24 a.m. Caden Kitler has signed his letter of intent to play for UCF. The 6'4", 295-pound offensive lineman has played tackle for most of his high school career. For UCF, Kitler will be moving to center and training behind starter Matt Lee. Kitler has a chance to be the No. 2 center on the depth chart as a true freshman.

9:01 a.m. The Knights sign a top Jacksonville area prospect in tight end Grant Stevens. He played for Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease. Stevens is a true spread tight end that can be a threat in the passing game and should be able to climb the depth chart quickly.

9:10 a.m. UCF has its inside linebacker in Kameron Moore. The Sanford (Fla.) Seminole player is one that can play weak side or middle linebacker at the college level. He's a very instinctive player and one that will be able to help in nickel and dime packages as well as within the base defense. He's a pure athlete.

9:36 a.m. The first of the twins has signed. It's Demari Henderson, safety, Sanford (Fla.) Seminole. One of the most coveted recruits in the state of Florida, Henderson is a prospect that was a priority recruit for UCF since Coach Malzahn and his coaching staff arrived in Orlando.

9:37 a.m. The second of the twins has signed with the Knights. Cornerback Ja'Cari Henderson from Sanford (Fla.) Seminole is a UCF Knight. He's the prototypical modern cornerback because of his long arms, explosive change of direction, and 6'1" frame.

Reminder: Coach Malzahn's press conference will be at 2:30 p.m. today. He will only be able to discuss the recruits that actually signed a letter of intent with UCF prior to his press conference. There are more recruits signing throughout the day, so there will be updates into the late afternoon right here at Inside The Knights.

The other recruit that signed with UCF would be:

Nikai Martinez, cornerback, Apopka (Fla.) High school, a player that Coach Malzahn offered when he was actually in the ninth grade. Martinez had offers from programs across Dixie and beyond. He's going to be one of the most likely candidates to play early in the entire 2022 recruiting class.

Note: look for more back stories about the recruitments of several prospects that sign with UCF, as well as around the state of Florida that sign with other schools, to come out over the next several weeks. Recruiting is full of back stories, this year especially...

For UCF coverage and recruiting information go to: The Daily Knight podcast. For more college football, UCF and recruiting information, go to Twitter: @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation, as well as my YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Like and Subscribe!

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Senior Film Review of UCF Quarterback Commitment Thomas Castellanos

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State of Florida Recruiting Notebook: Coaching Changes Shake up Final Decisions

Senior Film Reviews: UCF’s 2022 Recruiting Class

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Brian Smith
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