Big Kat Bryant will be the Standard for UCF Football Recruiting
For whatever the reason, the majority of college football’s top defensive line recruits tend to sign with the same programs during each national signing day. It’s a major reason that the majority of top college football programs continue to be highly ranked and deservedly so. You know the names of the schools. Clemson, Penn State, LSU, Ohio State, Florida, and about 10 other programs seem to sign the vast majority of truly big-time defensive end recruits.
That does not mean there will not be change to the defensive line hierarchy. There are upstart teams that have begun to rush the passer better than what one would expect. Virginia averaged 3.20 sacks per game last season. Indiana averaged 3.12 sacks per game. Neither of those teams would be amongst the so-called hierarchy of top defensive line schools. With those numbers it stands to be believed that those programs will likely recruit better because of how well they did during the 2020 season.
As for UCF, the Knights actually did a pretty good job of rushing the passer last year when one accounts for the concept of blitzing the quarterback, averaging 2.60 sacks per game. What was missing, beyond players that sat out last year because of COVID-19 like defensive tackle Kalia Davis, would be a full arsenal of pass rushers that the Knights could rotate. Injuries and opt-outs certainly hurt that rotation. That’s why this next season could be quite different, and also help recruiting long-term.
With the addition of key transfer Big Kat Bryant, not to mention Davis back in the fold, there are two important trends that should help to elevate UCF towards the traditional pass rushing powers of college football programs.
Big Kat Bryant Could have Signed Almost Anywhere, so Why UCF?
When Bryant steps onto the turf at the Bounce House, he will probably be the closest thing to a poster-like build for a NFL defensive end that UCF Football has seen in many, many years. At 6’5”, 255-pounds, he’s quite frankly an imposing figure.
So why did Bryant, a Second Team All-SEC player for Auburn with so much skill and yet so much potential still, decide to land in Orlando to play for UCF? Well, that’s something that UCF Defensive Coordinator Travis Williams and the entire UCF coaching staff and administrative staff will be able to use as a recruiting perk moving forward.
Yes, Bryant could have signed with several programs. He initially decided to transfer to Tennessee, but UCF hired Gus Malzahn to be the new Head Coach, as well as several Auburn assistants coming to Orlando with Coach Malzahn. UCF was the final destination for Bryant because of relationships and the people he built those relationships with.
Big Kat Bryant
Douglas DeFelice - USA Today Sports
Recruits Usually Pick Coaches, Not Schools
Comfort. That’s what most people seek in life. Same can be said about high school and college football transfers. Whether it’s a high school recruit like Keahnist Thompson that picked UCF over the likes of Texas, Miami and Alabama, or Bryant that picked UCF over a host of tradition-rich college football programs himself, the decision comes down to people, not the school name on a coach’s polo that they wear on the sideline.
Those coaches help to provide the comfort that individuals want, meaning the parents of recruits and college transfers, as well as the players themselves. While not everyone will get the opportunity to meet the UCF staff, trust in the knowledge that this is a staff that will win its fair share of big-time recruiting battles because of the type of good people that they are. Parents want to send their players to be around good people, and that’s exactly what UCF has right now.
It also helps that this staff really likes to recruit. There’s no question that it is a very important aspect of recruiting. Just sheer effort goes a long way. When combining the personalities and the effort that’s been placed towards recruiting, it does not surprise this particular recruiting analyst that UCF began to land top players like Bryant. Moving forward, that will continue because the same formula will work during each recruiting campaign thereafter. Bryant will be the beginning of that trend for elite defensive ends coming to Orlando, and the UCF staff wants more.
UCF Will Crash the Party
In case people did not notice, UCF continues to go after numerous elite defensive linemen. The Knights are swinging for the fences, and sure, there will be many swings and misses. That does not mean the attempts to hit home runs will diminish.
Coach Malzahn and his staff will continue to recruit the Florida, Georgia and Alabama programs where they know top prospects will be, and many of those programs consistently churn out top defensive linemen (the class of 2023 is especially loaded in Georgia and Alabama).
Yes, the majority of talented defensive linemen sign with the programs people routinely see on college football preview magazine covers and television shows. The Knights also have a very long way to go to be considered a defensive line school. That does not mean the exact same group will remain the same moving forward.
Bryant will be the first of many big-time defensive ends to place a UCF uniform on his back and march out onto the gridiron at the Bounce House. He’s the first step for UCF to earn the right to join an elite fraternity of programs that consistently churn out NFL defensive linemen.
There will need to be many players to come to UCF after Bryant for UCF to join the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and USC when it comes to NFL defensive end draft picks, but that’s one of the objectives for the UCF coaching staff.
That is also why UCF continues to recruit so many defensive ends. Every year, the Knights need to land a few of the nation’s very best edge rushers. They help to separate the good teams from the great teams, and they also help to separate the football from the quarterback.
Bryant is the first big-time defensive end to commit to the Knights under the direction of Coach Williams and Coach Malzahn, but he is also likely to be the first in a very long line of talented defensive ends to come to Orlando. This is a trend UCF fans will enjoy wholeheartedly, for sure.
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation
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