Ranking the Most Important Aspects of UCF Football Recruiting
There are many ways to evaluate a recruiting class. Some people only want to evaluate the raw numbers at the end of the recruiting cycle, while other individuals prefer to take a closer look by evaluating the recruiting process step-by-step. Inside The Knights will provide the latter, with an overview of the areas that have allowed UCF recruiting to do well.
There’s no one formula for recruiting success mind you. It’s all about understanding each prospect. With that in mind, here are four areas that UCF has utilized to help build the 2022 class to where it stands now with eight verbal commitments.
No. 1 High Energy
When interviewing top prospects as well as UCF commitments like Lakeland High School offensive tackle Miguel Maldonado or Apopka High School cornerback Nikai Martinez, the conversations almost always include something about how the UCF staff “brings the energy” or “they have energy” amongst several different quotes relating to the topic.
That’s also true for most of the recruits that visited UCF, whether they committed or not. This theme is deserving of the most important aspect of UCF football recruiting to date. Whenever asked to tell Inside The Knights what stood out about UCF, it’s close to a lock that energy will be a conversation within itself.
It does not matter where UCF recruits, they need to catch the attention of the prospects within that area. Today’s players want something beyond the usual recruiting spiel. The UCF staff provides different ways to relate to players before and during visits, and that begins with high energy regardless of the event.
As long as the UCF coaching staff can continue to excite the recruits they communicate with, that will lead to top prospects coming to Orlando and making unofficial and official visits, as well as attending UCF football camps. UCF proved it can bring the energy, and in turn, the top recruits have been coming to campus at a higher rate than at any other time in UCF history. Building from that energy is what’s done with the energy.
No. 2 Creativity and Marketing
The “Polklando” slogan for recruiting the greater Polk County area is a great example here. UCF has made recruiting fun and relatable to prospects and their families. As for Polk, that’s a county UCF has to hit hard as it’s one county over from Orlando. Coming up with that slogan was simple and yet genius at the same time. It’s a marketing tool that ties in with UCF’s uniform designs and overall creativity with the football program.
UCF has several cool helmet designs
Whether it’s the Space Coast designs in the football office’s hallway, like the helmets and uniforms, or the use of Twitter handles on uniforms, UCF is known for creative designs. The recruiting billboards across several different areas of Florida are yet another fantastic way that creativity has worked well for the Knights.
What will the UCF football program come up with next?
Safe to say that UCF presented many concepts that relate the recruits and their parents already, but do not be surprised when they come out of the tunnel during any given game this fall if there’s yet another cool twist to the UCF football program’s creative marketing strategies.
Overall, this is an area where UCF is ahead of almost any program in America. It’s fun to watch these different ideas take shape. Pie eating contests, scavenger hunts and axe throwing competitions during official visits certainly help to set a new trend rarely seen at any other college football program.
No. 3 Recruiting What the UCF Staff Knows
Whether it’s the UCF football coaches or the UCF administrative staff, these individuals have strong ties to Georgia and Alabama. That’s also where the Knights are expanding their recruiting efforts beyond the home base of Florida. The state of Florida is vital to UCF’s recruiting efforts (see below), but the number of talented prospects from Georgia and Alabama that already came to UCF will help set a pattern for future recruits to also visit UCF.
This is not rocket science. Georgia and Alabama are loaded with talent and the UCF staff is familiar with both states as well. It’s also why yours truly just did a seven day scouting trip through Georgia, Alabama and Florida to see prospects at high schools that UCF is and will continue to recruit.
The Knights are not only hitting the 2022 prospects, the entire UCF football staff has already begun to work on 2023 and 2024 recruits. It’s paying off. Recruits are consistently mentioning UCF when asked to just list schools they are interested in attending.
Recruiting is a process; a very long process. The UCF staff did their due diligence about Georgia and Alabama prospects from the 2022 class and underclassmen, and it’s helping to bring those prospects to campus. The list of four and five star recruits that already visited UCF from Georgia and Alabama, states not usually associated with UCF recruiting all that much, goes beyond what any prior UCF staff has been able to accomplish.
It will help UCF’s recruiting class this year and in the future. Recruits watch where other recruits visit. This is a long play; UCF will continue to evaluate and recruit prospects from Georgia and Alabama. It’s a great way to add to what UCF recruits in the state of Florida.
The recruiting base beyond Florida has been established. As time moves forward, UCF will be able to hit a higher and higher percentage of Georgia and Alabama recruits because the relationships that have been built will be longer and longer with each passing recruiting class.
It’s also a great sign that UCF already landed commitments from talented quarterback Tommy Castellanos and wide receiver Tyler Griffin from Georgia. Those two players can play for any school in America as both are very talented athletes with high ceilings.
The states of Georgia and Alabama have augmented what the UCF staff has been able to do in talent-rich Florida, and that state has been a priority from the moment UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn walked into the UCF football offices.
No. 4 Recruiting Florida Hard
Some might ask why this is not ranked No. 1? This area has been recruited very well, and it’s expected. Any program in Florida needs to recruit Florida. That’s exactly what the UCF staff accomplished to date. There’s also an incredible level of talent near the UCF campus and around the state, and the Knights are recruiting all of it.
For visits, UCF has brought in recruits from but not limited to Tallahassee, Lake City, Jacksonville, Ocala, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, the Space Coast, the Treasure Coast and areas in Southwest Florida as well. Much like the efforts in Georgia and Alabama, the UCF staff knows that it needs to continue to build relationships with coaches across the Sunshine State, and it’s paying off.
37 players drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft come from the state of Florida. That’s No. 1 overall, with Texas coming in at No. 2 with 33. The reasons to recruit Florida are obvious: it’s local and it’s talent is top-notch. Florida has been the No. 1 priority and will continue to be the No. 1 priority for the Knights.
UCF already reeled in five of its eight recruits from Florida. Generally speaking, hitting at least a 50% ratio will likely hold true moving forward. So far, the Knights are at 62.5% for Florida prospects. The Knights will probably sign 10 or more Floridians per recruiting class, assuming UCF signs 20 high school prospects per year.
The five Florida recruits that are now in the UCF fold: linebacker T.J. Bullard, Tampa (Berkeley Prep), defensive end Jamaal Johnson, Miramar (Chaminade-Madonna), Miguel Maldonado Lakeland (Lakeland High School), defensive end Keahnist Thompson, Lakeland (Lakeland High School) and yesterday’s commitment, cornerback Nikai Martinez, Apopka (Apopka High School).
Miguel Maldonado, Offensive Tackle, Lakeland (Fla.) High School
Brian Smith, Inside The Knights
By the time the 2022 class signs, UCF will likely reach double digits with Florida recruits. Expected, but very important. Overall, the state of Florida has been a major priority and there’s no reason to believe the recruiting plan will deviate.
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation
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