The Daily Knight: UCF Recruiting, 2021 Compared to Future Classes

With the month of October here, UCF recruiting continues to evolve, and with it, the Football program will look much different in just a few years.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Oct 8, 2021 12:39 AM EDT

ORLANDO - Checking with recruits over the past few weeks, as well as several contacts around the South, UCF Football recruiting continues to grow. There will be several visitors coming to Orlando over the next few months, and much of the reason why would be hard work by the UCF coaching staff.

Since the arrival of now Head Coach Gus Malzahn, the UCF Football program changed its recruiting strategy, style and just about anything else that could possibly happen with recruiting. Most importantly, it’s aggressive.

No more just going after developmental players. For the Knights to climb the ladder of college football, a serious influx of talent will be needed. Coach Malzahn and his coaching staff know that and that’s probably why players all the way down to the class of 2025 are receiving offers.

Colin Hurley is a rare prospect. He will likely have 50 offers by the time he’s finished with high school. That being stated, he’s a microcosm of what the Knights needed to do with underclassmen recruiting, recruiting Florida overall, and not being afraid of recruiting against elite programs from the SEC.

Make no mistake, Hurley will have every major offer he desires. UCF’s coaching staff knows that and does not mind. They want to move the program forward, and to do that elite talent is a must within every recruiting class. Still, there’s a balance with how and when the talent will be brought to Orlando.

Keep Going After the Best

While the Knights start bringing in top-notch talent coveted by other leagues like the ACC and SEC, there needs to be a scholarship balance so that the Knights have room for the prospects from the transfer portal.

It’s murky waters right now with extended scholarships available for the class of 2022 only (for now it’s 2022, but it’s the NCAA making the decisions so who knows), UCF could also bring in extra high school recruits for 2022 and not just players out of the portal. It’s all about timing.

Waiting too long on a high school prospect to commit risks losing a player from the portal and vice versa. It will be interesting to see just how many high school players sign with the Knights for the class of 2022.

The Coaching Staff Continues to Impress

From communicating with recruits around the South, there’s one thing that is consistent about UCF recruiting: the coaching staff is well liked. Recruits feel comfortable with the UCF coaches. As simple as that might be, it’s a huge aspect of recruiting. High School coaches also bring that up how much prospects like the UCF staff. That’s vital.

It’s also why the UCF recruiting trajectory will climb steadily. Will UCF suddenly pass Alabama in the recruiting rankings? Of course not. It’s a long road. It’s just good to know that UCF is on the proper path.

When Does UCF Reach the Recruiting Big-time?

That’s a question that will evolve over time, but the early guess would be about three or four years from now. There will be success stories along the way; landing a big-time player from Alabama would be one example. Securing several Florida prospects that were also offered by Miami, Florida and Florida State.

Those are the types of situations that can happen now, but they must happen with more frequency for the Knights to reach their long-term recruiting goals.

Here’s today’s podcast for The Daily Knight with more insights about UCF recruiting:

For UCF insights, college football news, and recruiting information go to: The Daily Knight podcast. It will be found on iTunes and Spotify. For more UCF and recruiting information, go to Twitter: @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation, as well as my YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Like and Subscribe!