#ChargeOn Today: Celebs celebrate commit 💪🏻— Gabriel's PFF praise
Hopefully you’ve all had as good a June as UCF’s football coaching staff, and celebrated it over a succulent steak dinner! As July approaches, I wanted to wish you an early and safe Independence Day!
Let’s get on it 📰
Today’s read is short, at 3.5 minutes ⏲️
Trending in the Kingdom: Stars celebrate Bullard's decision ⭐
T.J. Bullard, center, announced his commitment to UCF on Saturday (Photo courtesy Titus O'Neil)
He may not be the highest-rated commit in UCF’s 2022 class, but T.J. Bullard’s verbal commitment on Saturday certainly created a palpable buzz on social media - thanks to some quality name recognition.
Here’s the scoop: Bullard is the son of WWE superstar Titus O'Neil (Thaddeus Bullard Sr) and the Tampa native chose UCF after his official visit to campus. Bullard is a three-star linebacker and told 247Sports’ Jason Beede that the campus “felt like home” and the coaching staff helped sell him on becoming a Knight. He even spent some time at Gus Malzahn’s Winter Park home.
“The coaching staff definitely welcomed me in,” Bullard said. “They recruited me very hard. They just took the time out to get to know me as a person and a football player. The UCF football players welcomed me in as well…I’m going to make sure everybody knows that UCF is the place to be. I’m going to recruit for sure and help get some great players here.”
UCF was certainly pumped about the commitment, but so was the rest of the internet. Bullard’s post on social media, and his father’s, was met with a wave of celebration on Twitter, especially from some A-list celebrities.
Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowsi:
Wow congrats @tjbullard1!! You’re going to crush it at @UCF_Football! https://t.co/bVhXUxVh9w
WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon:
CONGRATULATIONS @tjbullard1! #ThisIsAwesome! https://t.co/5tQHvb0NJl
WWE superstar Natalya:
This is so cool, @TitusONeilWWE. I’m so proud of @TJBullard1 - shining so bright!!!!! Let’s go! https://t.co/evvffpNpnE
Actor and former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista:
Poor Kid Who Chased His Dreams.
Ultimate proud uncle moment as well! God bless that kid! So damn proud of him on every level. ❤️ https://t.co/sT7RwYW7z3
Rapper Plies:
UCF Got A Steal!!!!!! @TJBullard1 A Real Steppa!!!!!!! @T_WILL4REAL & @CoachGusMalzahn Congrats!!! Kid Comes From A Great Family & A Amazing Program!!! @UCF_Football For The Win!!!! 🖤 @BPS_Football 💙 https://t.co/zLZ8nLcGkl
Actor and comedian Terry Crews:
Gotta give a shout out to the son of my man @TitusONeilWWE, @tjbullard1 for committing to play for @UCF_Football !!! Congratulations young man!!!
Country music star Jimmie Allen:
Congrats @TJBullard1 on signing with @UCF_Football 💪🏽💪🏽
Rapper Wale:
Shoutout nephew https://t.co/p9Fr0mKDMZ
@TJBullard1 @UCF_Football
Actor Ken Jeong:
CONGRATS TO @TJBullard1!!! Much love!!❤️👏 https://t.co/Bk3kfUE6Xg
There’s plenty more shout outs on other social mediums, but how incredible was that exposure for UCF’s brand? Bullard told the Orlando Sentinel that the outpouring of support was really nice to see, saying he’s known a lot of these folks “since I was a young kid.”
Before his pro wrestling career, T.J.‘s father, Thad Bullard, played defensive end for head coach Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators, starting three games and appearing in 44. T.J. grew up a Gators fan, naturally, but told UCFSports.com that he feels the Knights will soon be playing for a national championship and he wants to be a part of it.
Give me a Knugget 🐴: Titus O'Neil is up for ESPN’s Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, given to the person who shows “continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a measured positive impact on their community through sports.” The award will be handed out at the ESPYS on July 10. O'Neil is known for his charitable work in the Tampa Bay area.
PFF shows DG some love ❤️
UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the nation in passing yards per game in 2020. (Photo: AP)
Pro Football Focus seems to have a little crush on Dillon Gabriel, and we’re not mad about it.
Fill me in: PFF, as it’s known, is an advanced stats and metrics site, which features a player evaluating system and grading scale. The site released its Preseason All-America Team for 2021 season, and listed UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel as an honorable mention. Gabriel was one of just four quarterbacks on the list.
The first team was headlined by Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, with North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Miami’s D'Eriq King taking the second and third team spots.
How DG stacks up 📈: Here’s Gabriel’s career numbers compared to trio listed ahead of him.
Spencer Rattler, OU (14 games): 67.4% completion pct., 3,112 pass yards, 29 pass TD, 7 INT, 183 rush yards, 6 rush TD.
Sam Howell, UNC (25 games): 64.4% completion pct., 7,227 pass yards, 68 pass TD, 14 INT, 186 rush yards, 6 rush TD.
D'Eriq King, Miami (45 games, 34 at Houston): 62.6% completion pct., 7,611 pass yards, 73 pass TD, 15 INT, 1,959 rush yards, 32 rush TD.
Gabriel, UCF (23 games): 59.7% completion pct., 7,223 pass yards, 61 pass TD, 11 INT, 247 rush yards, 6 rush TD.
Keep in mind 🤔: PFF also notes that Gabriel has the fifth-most passing touchdowns in the country since 2019 (61) and the most dropped passes (65), so that does knock his completion percentage a bit.
Now, there’s good reason for PFF to list Rattler as its top quarterback in the country. As they point out, his 92.5 freshman grade was the highest ever given to a true or redshirt freshman quarterback, but he wasn’t even the most valuable quarterback in the country, per their own metrics.
Most valuable players returning to CFB (PFF Wins Above Average):
1. Sam Howell, UNC
2. Dillon Gabriel, UCF
3. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
4. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
5. D'Eriq King, Miami https://t.co/jeSBQMpRMX
For what its worth, CBSSports.com has Gabriel ahead of King in their tiers, ranking him among their Heisman contenders in Tier I, along with Rattler, Howell, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall and Georgia’s JT Daniels.
Meet the Mafia 🤝: Nick Grandchamps, UCF '15
Nick has traveled all over the world, and currently lives in Turkey.
Every few weeks, we’ll get a chance to meet a member of the UCF Twitter Mafia here on the newsletter. If you have a suggestion, email me.
Meet Nick! He’s an awesome dude and a member of UCF’s exclusive 30 Under 30 club 🎉.
Graduated 🎓: May 2015
From 🏠: Casselberry, FL
Current city 📍: Istanbul, Turkey
Current job 👔: U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Twitter handle 🐦: @NickGrandchamps
Favorite UCF memory 🏈: UCF football’s win over USF in 2017.
Random fact ❓: He can bake a mean carrot cake.
Nick’s story is so fascinating, and he’s representing UCF all over the world. In reading some of his background, he’s truly making a difference in so many ways since graduating from the The Burnett Honors College:
Working as a policy advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives.
On diplomacy efforts at the U.S. Embassies in Beijing and The Hague.
He has mastered speaking Chinese-Mandarin and Turkish.
He was a diplomat in Beijing, China, including during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to help evacuate American citizens from Wuhan.
He’s currently on assignment on a diplomatic mission in Turkey.
We’re proud of you, Nick! Keep Charging On! 👏
One more for the road: Nice find by Christian Simmons, who noted that UCF went winless in 2015 and is still tied for the 14th most wins in college football since 2010, with 94. That’s more than Auburn (93), Texas A&M (93), Florida (89), Michigan (87) and Miami (83).
By Ryan Bass
The #ChargeOn Today Newsletter is dedicated to covering trending UCF Athletics news and topics. Have some feedback? Shoot me a message: chargeontoday@gmail.com
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