Thursday Recruiting Rundown, June 9th

Discussing UCF’s addition of wide receiver Javon Baker, and how recruiting has been going overall for UCF, UF, FSU, and Miami.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Jun 9, 2022 7:50 AM EDT

To begin this week’s version of the Thursday Recruiting Rundown, there’s a slight shift in focus. With the Transfer Portal now in play, recruiting is much different.

“The game has changed,” A common comment from UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn regarding how rosters are built with the Transfer Portal in conjunction with prospects from the high school and junior college ranks.

Malzahn’s comment rings true. With the addition of Javon Baker, a highly touted wide receiver from the Atlanta area and the University of Alabama, UCF is now at 13 total players that will be on the Knights roster by way of the Transfer Portal. That’s an important statistic within itself, but discussing Baker is most important today.

What Does Baker Bring to UCF?

This is a young man that was recruited by the traditional heavyweights of college football. There's a good reason. Baker could fit right in athletically with any wide receiver recruit one wants to compare him with. That’s especially true with one specific category.

The 50-50 ball. His high school highlight tape has its fair share of contested catches that Baker snatched the football away from the defensive back. Considering Baker comes from the Atlanta area, which is loaded with talent, he was making plays against many other prospects with college football aspirations.

Baker’s highlights are fun to watch. Just the first play from scrimmage provides evidence of the level of skill this young man possesses.

Can he make an impact for the Knights this season? Yes, absolutely he can. That being said, he only has nine catches and 116 receiving yards to his credit from his time at the University of Alabama. Something did not work out or he would still be a member of the Crimson Tide.

If Baker comes to UCF and is truly focused on being a team-first player, the sky’s the limit. He can shake-and-bake with the best receivers, has excellent hands, and he’s very competitive. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the UCF offensive structure, too.

Adding Baker to the Receiving Corps

The Knights now have one of the most physically gifted groups of receivers in the country. There’s plenty of playmaking ability that’s going to be donning a UCF helmet and playing wide receiver for the Knights this fall.

Ryan O’Keefe, Amari Johnson, Jordan Johnson and Jaylon Griffin return from last season. Kobe Hudson comes over from Auburn, and there’s Baker from Alabama. Then, there are the three incoming recruits. Do not forget about Tyler Griffin, Quan Lee and Xavier Townsend. All of those young men can really play.

There will be fireworks with UCF’s passing game in 2022. It’s just a matter of how the depth chart shakes out with all the competition. Now, onto some more traditional recruiting news from around the Sunshine State.

No Commitments

None of Florida, Florida State, Miami or UCF gained a commitment in the last week. Last Friday, June 3, started a month-long stretch of official visits. There will likely be plenty of commitments at the end of June through the rest of the summer, but the first half of June will likely see most of the top recruits continue to take more official visits so they can better decide where to go to college.

Top Wide Receiver Recruit Leaving Florida

One of the best Florida prep wide receivers is heading to play for the Sooners. Despite offers from across the South, and even living right down the road from Florida State, Keyon Brown is going to Oklahoma.

Brown has been timed at over 21 mph while playing in a DR Sportz 7v7 tournament earlier this year. He also provides really good size at 6’3”, 205-pounds. Brown is the fifth commitment for Oklahoma.

Another Wide Receiver Staying in Florida?

After a really good official visit to Florida, Aidan Mizell looks to be quite happy with Florida. He has family ties in Gainesville, so the Gators might be hard to beat for his services.

Many other programs are attempting to change his mind like UCF, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, but the odds-on favorite should be considered Florida. From a wide receiver to an elite defensive tackle, there’s a heavyweight battle for one of Florida’s best prep prospects.

Big John

For anyone that’s seen defensive tackle John Walker overpower another player in person, it’s not something that’s easily forgotten. At roughly 6’4” and 300-pounds, Walker is a horse on the interior, and he’s also an athlete that makes plays with lateral mobility. His rare combination of skills have college coaches coming after him hard.

The Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola talent has been ardently recruited by each of the Florida college football programs. Three of them will receive official visits from his five visits overall. He took an official visit to UCF (June 3) already.

Walker is going to Michigan (June 10), Miami (June 17), Ohio State (June 24) and Florida (Oct. 14) to finish out his other four trips.

If UCF, Miami or Florida land Walker, it’s going to be a big boost to that program. Hard to find defensive tackles like him. The programs in Florida must start keeping prospects like Walker home to turn the tide with their respective won-loss records.

FSU Camp Produces Offer for Top 2025 Prospect

One of the best things about camp season is seeing the development of a prospect from one high school football season until the next summer. Even in less than 12 months, a prospect can truly develop. This next young man is a great example.

Only going into his sophomore season, nothing like a player continuing to get better and earning a scholarship under the watchful eye of FBS coaches first-hand. Hats off to Solomon Thomas, as he now has offers from FSU, Nebraska and Georgia Tech. He’s still trying to add more to his game as well, with another camp coming up soon.

Under the Radar

Sometimes a small school player can go all but unnoticed. That does not mean there’s no talent there. Brookwood high school is a small private school in Thomasville, Ga. It’s also in a gated community and does not play against the big-time programs across the region. Still, this young man can play. The following clips from Destin Moore are just a glimpse. His time is coming.