Why the Spring Evaluation Period is so Vital to the UCF Recruiting Effort

Whether it’s short term or long term, how well UCF does with recruiting between now and early June will have a major impact on the 2023 recruiting class, as well as future classes.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2022 10:17 PM EDT

TAMPA - Coming back from Wharton High School spring practice on Tuesday, it made even more sense than expected. College coaches always need to make the rounds, but it’s even more important for certain teams for different reasons.

UCF needs to not only win battles for high school players, the Knights need to win the relationship battle which leads into subpoints that are also quite important.

*Build relationships with coaches and administrators at the schools like Wharton. The head man in charge would be former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams, who actually played high school football in Tampa. One just does not know how building a relationship with Coach Williams and his staff can pay off down the line. Like anything else, college football is much about who a college coach knows to help sign top prospects. That’s the nature of recruiting.

*Eyes on the future. There are always young players coming up. With Wharton, for instance, get to know the name Arkese Parks. He can really run and he’s only a class of 2024 player. Capable of playing RB, WR or CB, Parks is the type of athlete schools from everywhere are likely to take a hard look at.

Same thing with edge rusher Booker Pickett. To land a player like this young man that recorded 22 sacks as a sophomore, UCF needs to recruit him early and often. Few class of 2024 recruits have the frame to fill out like Pickett.

DJ Pickett Defensive End Tampa (Fla.) Wharton - 2024 — **At 6'4", 200-pounds, Booker Pickett has plenty of room to grow into a bona fide college edge defender.**
@fbscout_florida

*Don’t give up. Even though Wharton cornerback Dijon Johnson pledged to Ohio State, that does not mean the top-notch cornerback is not going to hear from UCF. Tight Ends and Special Teams Coach Brian Blackmon was there to watch Wharton practice. Make no mistake, he’s there to let his presence be known and that UCF is still interested in Johnson. That’s part of the process with recruiting. Keep recruiting top prospects even if they commit elsewhere. One never knows, Johnson could have a change of heart.

Dijon Johnson Cornerback Tampa (Fla.) Wharton Team Tampa - 2023 — **Dijon Johnson is one of the state of Florida's most heavily recruited players. Despite being committed to Ohio State, that will not keep UCF and other programs from coming after him.**
@fbscout_florida

*The Transfer Portal is UCF’s friend. Even if a player like Johnson does go off to Ohio State, UCF could land him after a year or two in Columbus. Continuing to cultivate the relationship with Johnson now helps to ensure a second chance with him, if it does indeed come about, in a few years.

With that, UCF still has to do the basics of scouting during the spring evaluation period. Transcripts, evaluations, and much, much more are a part of the process. The following podcast delves into that process and more. Before hitting play, due note that UCF is truly being selective with the players that it’s going after. That much has been learned from talking to multiple coaches around Florida the last few weeks and that has not changed with stops at Lakeland High School on Monday and Wharton on Tuesday.

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