UCF Football Recruiting News & Notes

UCF Football recruiting news from this past weekend’s visits.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Mar 21, 2022 9:56 PM EDT

ORLANDO - The UCF recruiting machine is continuing to do well. Numerous prospects were on campus this past weekend, and the opportunities to land a great 2023 and even a great 2024 recruiting class are well under way.

Here are three key points from this past weekend for UCF Football fans.

Malachi Singleton and UCF

It appears that the Knights hit it out of the park with top quarterback recruit Malachi Singleton during his weekend visit to the UCF campus. The following video, yet another tremendous job by the UCF sports social media members, is certainly one that leaves good vibes about Singleton and the Knights.

Now, what can and should UCF fans expect? It’s really up to Singleton. Does he start to formally and publicly narrow his list of schools? Arkansas is probably the biggest contender to UCF. Does he want to wait a while and see if any new schools jump in to his recruitment or make a public decision and soon make a final decision?

Let’s see what Singleton says by the end of the week after he’s had time to mull over his visit to UCF. By that time, he should be good and ready to figure out his next move.

Cam Newton C1N Visits UCF

For those that do not know, former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton played under the direction of now UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn while he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Tigers. During that magical year, Newton won the Heisman Trophy and helped lead the Tigers to the 2010 National Championship. The relationship between the two men is still strong.

Newton operates one of the nation's most prestigious seven-on-seven organizations and his units are loaded. Unlike many celebrities, Newton is absolutely entrenched in the organization as he coaches the players himself and calls plays.

During this past weekend, Newton brought several recruits to UCF. Having covered and followed this organization during a tournament last season, many of the following names are familiar. Point blank, the following players are the ones that the Alabamas and the Georgias of the world are recruiting, so it places their talent level into perspective.

WR Cayden “Honeycomb” Lee, Powder Springs (Ga.) Kennesaw Mountain - One of the best route runners in Georgia and the country. (2023)

LB Jamaal Anderson, Jr., Hochston (Ga.) Mill Creek - talented enough to play multiple linebacker positions and do well in space in the passing game. (2023)

QB Prentiss “Air” Noland, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Huges - Upside is through the roof. Long, athletic, and possesses a strong arm. Will be one of the top signal callers in the 2024 class. (2024)

WR Debron Gatling, Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton - natural receiver that gets over the top for scores and can be a playmaker in space as well. (2024)

WR JoJo Stone, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson - Elite fitness mentality; powerful player that could play multiple positions. Prefers wide receiver and he excels there. (2024)

CB Kaleb Beasley, Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy - Smart, instinctive player with the twitchy movements to play corner. Could play safety as well. (2024)

Nickel CB Christian Peterson, Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake - Has a knack for the big play. Does a tremendous job playing smaller or bigger receivers in the slot. Plays at the same school that Newton once was a star before eventually ending up at Auburn with Malzahn. (2024)

Again, this is only a partial list. Further, it’s also yet another sign that UCF is challenging for elite prospects. Every one of these young men have prominent offers from various parts of the United States.

Knights Bringing in Talented Preferred Walk-On

When building a college football program, not every recruit is going to be a top 250 national recruit. Not even Alabama or Georgia or Clemson do that. Here in the Sunshine State, there are also plenty of developmental players. Some of them receive scholarships right out of high school, while others like Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater offensive lineman Shaheem Hill.

With the Knights only signing one true high school offensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class, numbers are light. Adding Hill, a 6’4”, 310-pound prospect with plenty of upside is more than just welcomed, it’s needed.

Games are still won in the trenches even during the spread passing era, and that’s why Hill and each offensive lineman that steps foot on the UCF campus is important. As a side note, Hill is a really good student and should fit in nicely with the student body.

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