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Lakeland (Fla.) wide receiver
Daidren Zipperer said he can definitely see a future for himself at UCF after spending last weekend in Orlando on his official visit.
"It was love," Zipperer said. "Coaches showed love. Everybody. It felt at home. I felt the love walking in. It's the little stuff, like opening the doors for me. It started from there.
"I'm talking to Coach
(Gus) Malzahn, he's telling me how it is here. I love how the players are... I was hanging out with
Amari Johnson. I talked to
Kobe Hudson, who came from Auburn. They showed me a lot of love."
Zipperer has been on UCF's radar for over a year. He was among a group of Lakeland players to visit last summer and the staff kept an eye on him all season. He said he's been building a relationship with wide receivers coach
Grant Heard, who joined UCF's staff earlier this year.
"(Heard) contacted me in March before I even got offered by UCF," Zipperer said. "He said he loves me and wants to get me up here. Coach
(Chip) Lindsey came to my practice one day. I guess he came back and told him how I was in practice. The next day (Heard) called my phone. I got out of 7th period 10 minutes early so I could call him. We're talking on the phone and he was like, 'We're gonna offer you a scholarship.' I was excited. That was my first big, big offer. I was really excited about it."
Zipperer now has more than 20 offers with the vast majority of those arriving this spring.
"I did pretty good this spring," Zipperer said. "In the spring game, I had four receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. This is the first year that coaches can come see me practice in person, so that was really big for me. In practice I finish every catch. I practice hard every play. They loved that and what I showed on film."
A big part of the UCF visit was learning about academics and possible majors.
"I want to study sports medicine," Zipperer said. "They took us to the academic center, showed us around. I'm big on academics. It starts there. They showed me where I'd be. The academic people showed the love too. They stay on you with grades. That's big for me."
Why sports medicine?
"That interests me because I want to stay in the sports field," Zipperer said. "I love football. I do this because I love it. It's not because of money. I love football. I'd do anything to get paid for it. I want to stay around the game as long as I possibly can, Lord willing."
Amari Johnson was his player host. On that Friday night, he watched the NBA Finals with a few of the players. That was a pivotal game for Golden State as they tied the series with the Boston Celtics 2-2. They've since taken a 3-2 series lead after Monday's victory.
"I got Golden State and Curry all day," Zipperer said.
Zipperer also got to experience the college social scene.
"We went to a little party, hung out," Zipperer said. "(Amari) showed me around. I met everybody. Everybody was cool to me like I'm already here. Like I'm a student here already. I fit right in. I can see myself here."
The food was pretty good too.
"We had Mission BBQ," Zipperer said. "To me, that was the best thing. I like the macaroni and baked beans mixed together. I'm that type of guy. They put it on the side, then I get it and mix it. That's my favorite meal of all time, mixing macaroni and baked beans together. I love that. That was my favorite thing. It's pretty good."
He met with Malzahn prior to departing on Sunday.
"He told me to take it slowly and enjoy it because you only get this once," Zipperer said. "He wants to me to be a Knight. I can feel it."
What stands out about UCF?
"It's a dream," Zipperer said. "The Bounce House. They call it that for a reason. The stadium is rocking. Everything is rocking. It's a great atmosphere. I can see myself playing here. I really can. I like UCF a lot... The players show love. The coaching staff, it's like I'm at my house. I feel comfortable already. I can talk to them about anything. I won't feel uncomfortable at all. That's really why I love this place."
Being a member of UCF's inaugural Big 12 team would be pretty cool too.
"That's big," Zipperer said. "Going to the Big 12, that's more exposure. It's big for me too. That's my first year coming into college."
Zipperer will take his second official visit to Pittsburgh later this week. He will also spend several days in Utah later this month visiting BYU (June 22-26), though that will be an unofficial visit. He has already visited South Carolina and North Carolina unofficially. He also plans to stop by South Florida and had plans to attend a camp at Alabama.
He said he was in no rush to make a decision.
"I don't know when my last official visit will be," Zipperer said. "I'm saving three for the fall. After my last official visit, then I will be making a decision. I might be dropping a top eight soon."
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