Kris Moll has found his home.
After several months in the NCAA Transfer Portal, the former UAB linebacker and Miami native jumped on UCF's offer to become the latest highly-touted transfer to join the Knights for the 2022 season.
Moll announced his decision on Tuesday.
"UCF was always in the picture," Moll told UCFSports.com. "They contacted me when I first got in the portal (last December). I was more looking towards another school at that time, Louisville. That didn't work out. But they were still in my ear."
With the deadline passed for spring enrollment, Moll continued to talk to UCF as well as other suitors, including Georgia Southern, Kansas, Marshall and Arkansas State. He took an unofficial visit to UCF in late March for one of the early spring practices.
"At that time, they were still trying to figure out how to get me a spot," Moll said. "They wanted me to come, but they didn't have a spot at that moment. I went on an unofficial visit to meet the coaches and see the facilities. Just so I can stay open and ready in case something worked out."
UCF has seen significant attrition at the linebacker spot since the end of last season.
Tatum Bethune transferred to Florida State. Then two additional linebackers,
Cole Joyce and
Kadeem Leonard, entered the portal in the past week. The Knights only have one returning linebacker with game experience:
Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste.
Moll said he actually received the UCF offer prior to tweeting about it Monday night. He was having conversations about making the commitment, so he wanted to put it out there ahead of time.
"Once I posted the offer, I had so many family and friends back home wanting me to go there so bad," Moll said. "My family was so happy. I was happy I get to stay near home. People can come watch me. When I got into the portal I was always thinking about UCF a lot.
"I called up Coach T-Will to let him know I was ready to commit. I surprised him. He thought I was going to ask him a question. I said, 'Coach, I'm ready to commit.' He was like, 'Oh man, you're gonna make me crash my car! I'm on the road right now.' He can't wait to get me up there."
Another force pulling him towards Orlando was his good friend and former Florida tight end
Kemore Gamble, who transferred to UCF in January.
"We've been friends since freshman year of high school," Moll said. "He went to Coral Gables with me. He ended up transferring out and going to Southridge. We ended up playing against each other our last year. He was a big part of Coral Gables for three years. We had a bunch of classes together. We were really cool.
"He's been trying to get me there. He's been forcing the issue. I'm also close to
Gilbert Frierson from Miami. He was excited for me too. We did a three-way call with Kemore, surprising him with the news. He said he's gonna be my roommate. We both know what we can do. I'm really looking forward to playing with him again."
As his transfer process unfolded, Moll was hoping UCF would be the spot.
"I liked that it's a winning program," he said. "They play a lot of good teams this season. Word on the street is we're the best school in Florida. The coaches are great coaches. A lot of good history with them. I've heard a lot of good things from people who know them. Young, relatable coaching staff. I feel like they're player coaches. That's good. I also like the defense. I'll be able to learn it quickly and be able to succeed in it."
Moll is ready to contribute wherever the coaches need him.
"All I know is Coach T-Will told me the best man is gonna play," Moll said. "I'm just going out there ready to work. I'll be playing linebacker or wherever they need me. I don't care. I feel I can play multiple positions."
As a senior in the Class of 2017, Moll earned a spot on the All-Miami Dade Team with 133 total tackles but found himself lightly recruited. He chose UAB over offers from Albany and Valdosta State.
"In little league before high school, I was a running back and linebacker," Moll said. "When I got to high school, I played running back a little bit, then decided I needed to do the hitting and stuck to defense. I was playing outside linebacker at first, then senior year I moved to middle linebacker. I ended up getting one FBS scholarship offer to UAB. The rest were I-AA and Division II schools.
"I feel like part of it is I was pretty undersized. I wasn't fully matured yet. I was 17 years old and had barely hit puberty. I grew in college. I went from 5-10, 183 in high school to about 220, 225 now. I grew a couple inches too. I was very undersized. It was hard for me to get noticed as a linebacker weighting 183 pounds and I wasn't the fastest or strongest either. I didn't go to many camps.
"I took the opportunity and did what I did at UAB. We won some championships and got some Conference USA First Team stuff."
Moll developed into one of the best defensive players in C-USA while helping the Blazers secure two conference championships (2018, 2020) and another division title (2019). He was UAB's leading tackler in 2019 (104 tackles) and 2020 (59 tackles), earning spots on the Conference USA First Team both seasons. After the 2020 season, Phil Steele named him as an All-America Honorable Mention.
Going into 2021, Moll appeared on watch lists for the Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski Awards as well as for the Reese's Senior Bowl. A hand injury limited him to playing in just four games, but that also allowed him to preserve a redshirt so he could be eligible one final season.
"I feel like I've got a good motor," Moll said. "I've got a good nose for the ball. I'm instinctive. I'm a leader. I play hard. I'm coachable. I'm a good team player. I feel I can make a big impact on the team."
He's been used to winning so that's his expectation at UCF. The Knights should be among the frontrunners to win the American.
"I definitely want to win a championship," Moll said. "I'd love to go to the national championship. I want to go to the NFL and get drafted. I want to make a big impact on this season, not only for myself but for the team as well."
The coaches still working out his arrival date. He thinks he'll be reporting about a month from now in late May.
"I'm super excited," Moll said. "I'm already thinking about how I'm gonna get all these tickets. I'll probably need 50 tickets per game. I was talking with my grandfather earlier today. He was telling me how he's gonna go to all of the games. He might need season tickets."
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