Best signing class ever? #StateOfOrlando🛡️ success and owning the Owls 🦉
Per 247Sports, six of Florida's Top 100 recruits have committed to Gus Malzahn and the Knights. If this holds, it could be the best recruiting class in school history.
UCF’s Space Game uniforms keep getting rave reviews, this time from Uniswag, which named the Mission V threads their uniform of the week. Uniform Authority also gave them the No. 1 nod.
Uniforms like these can be a huge recruiting tool, which is the theme of today’s newsletter.
Today’s read is 3.5 minutes ⏲️
Trending in the Kingdom: Twins takeover
The Gus bus is getting crowded. In a span of four days, UCF boosted its 2022 recruiting class with the addition of three prospects, vaulting the Knights into signing class territory they’ve never been in.
Here’s the scoop: Sanford Seminole twins Ja'Cari and Demari Henderson made the choice to stay home on Monday, committing to head coach Gus Malzahn over the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes. The pair announced their decision to join the Knights’ 2022 class in a video.
“For the next 3-4 years,” they said in the USA Today video, “we’ll be taking our talents to the University of Central Florida.”
#TwinsU? 👥: Third time’s the charm with twins for the Knights, who have had success with twins in the past: They’ve had Justin and Jordan McCray (and Cliff, too) in the early 2010’s and Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin from 2013-18.
On Saturday, the Knights got a verbal commitment from Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) three-star running back Jordan McDonald, the No. 56 tailback in the class, who selected them over a number of Power 5 schools, most notably South Carolina. He was the first running back to commit to Malzahn, rushing for 2,300 yards and 40 touchdowns over the past three years.
"It's just the overall connection I have with the coaching staff, especially Coach [Gus] Malzahn and Coach [Tim] Harris," McDonald told 247Sports. "Just the whole family atmosphere there, too. The fan base is in tune with everything. The minute I stepped foot on campus there for the East Carolina game [earlier this month] to the moment I left, it was great and amazing. You can tell that something is building there."
They really are, especially on the recruiting trail. The additions of McDonald and the Henderson twins lifted UCF’s 2022 signing class to No. 37 in the nation, which would finish as the highest-ranked class in school history.
There’s no doubt the Big 12 invitation helps here, but Malzahn has a knack for being an ace recruiter, and that pedigree has carried over to Orlando.
UCF’s class is ranked second in the AAC, just a few points behind Cincinnati (34th) despite four less commits to date. They’re two spots behind Malzhan’s ex Auburn (35th), despite the Tigers having four four-star recruits currently in their class. UCF has one. Tennessee is at 31st and Nebraska is 76th.
In this class, UCF has six of Florida’s Top 100 247 recruits committed: CB Nikai Martinez (38), DL Keahnist Thompson (55), CB Ja'Cari Henderson (58), WR Quan Lee (68), S Demari Henderson (73) and OT Leyton Nelson (77).
For comparison, Florida State currently has eight committed, Florida has seven and Miami two.
From 2016-2021, Scott Frost and Josh Heupel signed nine Top 100 Florida recruits, combined.
UCF signed more players from Hawaii and Germany (one each) in the class of 2021 - which was mostly led by Heupel - than they did from Orlando and the surrounding suburbs (one in total).
“Recruiting is going really, really good,” Malzahn said, when asked by UCFSports.com’s Brandon Helwig postgame on Saturday. “It's really through the ups and downs of the season. Recruits know what's going to happen here in the future. They know that it's going to be a lot of fun. Great response. We're going to keep the momentum going. I feel very confident, as far as this class goes."
I mentioned this in a July edition of this newsletter, but Malzahn really is living up to his “State of Orlando” mantra, securing local talent much better than any of his recent predecessors have.
🗺️ Staying home: Dating back to 2002, UCF has signed 56 players from the surrounding Orlando area, per Rivals.com. Here’s an interactive map of those locals (including the Daytona Beach area) in each signing class broken down by coach.
Here's a look, by coach, at the local talent UCF has signed since 2002.
Mike Kruczek (2002-03): 14
2002: 4
2003: 7
George O'Leary (2004-15): 32
2004: 2
2005: 5
2006: 2
2007: 4
2008: 1
2009: 4
2010: 5
2011: 4
2012: 2
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 0
Scott Frost (2016-17): 4
2016: 3
2017: 1
Josh Heupel (2018-20): 5
2018: 1
2019: 3
2020: 1
Gus Malzahn (2021-current): 6*
2021: 1
2022: 5 (verbal commitment only)*
As 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins wrote in February, Malzahn was primed to get UCF’s recruiting back on track, especially with his knack for invading Florida while he was at Auburn, signing at least three recruits from the talent-rich state each of the past five recruiting cycles.
Deeper Dive 🤿:
UCF adds talented Seminole twins, Ja’Cari and Demari Henderson to 2022 recruiting class (Orlando Sentinel)
Q&A with UCF commit Jordan McDonald (UCFSports.com)
UCF football recruiting: Big 12 move helps Knights host top 2022 and ‘23 targets (Orlando Sentinel)
Owning the Owls ✊🏻🦉
I’m not sure there’s a team more excited to see UCF’s soccer programs depart the American Athletic Conference more than Temple.
Tell me more: UCF’s men’s and women’s soccer programs both beat the Temple Owls over the weekend, shutting them out 3-0 and 5-0, respectively, in both matches.
Men’s soccer 🏃♂️⚽️: UCF entered the match ranked 7th in the nation in goals (2.64 a game) and lived up to the billing. Behind goals from Gino Vivi, Lucca Dourado and Ariel Hadar, the Knights have now scored three or more goals for the seventh time this season.
Women’s soccer 🏃♀️⚽️: It was an eventful senior day, with three Knights scoring in the first 11 minutes of the match. Kristen Scott’s goal to make it 3-0 was her ninth of the season, which leads the club.
💯: Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak is now one win away from the 100th of her UCF career (99-44-18).
UCF women’s soccer is on their way to a NCAA Tournament bid, as Black and Gold Banneret’s Eric Lopez points out.
Give me a Knugget 🐴: UCF’s dominance over the Owls dates back long before their time in the AAC. Overall, the two soccer programs are 19-2-3 all-time against the Owls since 1992.
📆: UCF Men’s Soccer vs. USF - Wednesday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
📆: UCF Women’s Soccer at Cincinnati - Thursday at 7 p.m.