Ryan Held put in some serious mileage on the recruiting trail this December and January.
Though he didn't fly to Hawaii (Mario Verduzco had that distinction), UCF's running backs coach canvassed the continental United States with stops that ranged from spots locally to Texas, Arizona, California and several other states in-between.
Time wasn't on his side either as UCF had roughly around three total weeks of contact period time before National Signing Day.
Despite the challenges that come with recruiting a class in such short period, UCF exceeded all expectations with the 20-member class they announced Feb. 3. Though the true strength of a class won't be known for several years, the Knights finished No. 2 in the Rivals.com American Athletic Conference recruiting rankings, closing successfully on several key targets in the final days.
"We feel like all these kids will play a significant role whether it's this fall or in the future," Held said. "We wanted kids that could run, we wanted to get some more length and some more playmakers. We wanted to help the lines on both sides of the ball. We feel like we've done that. You never know how this thing will go, but there might be some more flexibility down the road to get one or two more, who knows, but for us to be able to hold on to these kids is big for us. It's just a testament to Coach Frost and all the coaches and all the relationships we've built and all the people involved in this whole recruiting cycle."
Held - who had been serving as the head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M - was there every step of the way as one of the first coaches hired by Scott Frost in early December. The connection began in the 1990s when the pair were teammates at Nebraska.
"I was a walk-on player at Nebraska," Held said. "Scott went to Stanford and then transferred back. We're both the same age. He came back and I was on the team. He was a quarterback, I was as receiver. We built a relationship. We both had similar friends. Just throughout the process we've stayed in touch. Obviously he's ascended very high in the coaching ranks. I've been a head coach for 12 years at the D2 and junior college level. There's some kids he was interested in that I had and we've kind of stayed in touch. He said, 'You wanna come to UCF?' There's no question I'm coming here. It's just one of those deals and it worked out great."
From there, the main objective was recruiting. Held was in Orlando less than 24 hours to sign a contract and in the days to follow he was in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and California meeting with players and coaches at junior colleges.
"This whole deal has been a whirlwind, there's no question," Held said. "I had some familiarity with some kids obviously having been a former JUCO coach which helped on some initial names of some guys we felt we needed to go after. It was a quick process. 'Okay, here's some kids we've watched and we like. Get on an airplane and travel across the country.' We obviously didn't get them all, but we got some that I think will really help our football team. I got a lot of frequent flyer miles, there's no question. Some funny stories. I love it. I'm cherishing being able to do the Division I thing again. Coach Frost has done a tremendous job, all our guys. The whole deal was obviously a team effort, but it was good, I loved it."
Held played a key role in the recruitment of seven of the 20 signees, five of whom hailed from junior college. His efforts in December led to two quick commits: offensive lineman Christian Beard and defensive lineman Josh Odigie. Beard, who is originally from Waco, Tex., enrolled in January.
"Christian comes from a great junior college in Trinity Valley," Held said. "They do a great job. Christian is a lineman that can really run. The appealing thing about Christian is that he's a three-for-three kid. He gives us another year and that really is big when you're recruiting a junior college kid if you can get that extra year. He brings experience in that league. It's a great league. Being here in the spring is big to go through our winter conditioning and spring ball. We expect him to come in like all our kids, every job is open. He gives us flexibility at tackle and guard. We'll see where it goes. He's got to earn it. I think he gives us a good piece from a winning program that can help us."
Odigie, a California native, chose UCF over Oregon State. While other prospects may have continued to entertain other suitors, Odigie was solid throughout the process.
"Josh is a good kid," Held said. "He comes from Orange Coast and he's a 6-3 and a half, 6-4, 250-pound kid that gives us flexibility at end or even outside linebacker. He can run and is physical. Very excited to come here. That's a position of need where we need a guy that can come in and give us flexibility on the defensive side of the ball. He's a good player. We're excited to get him. He just needs to finish up and get here in the summer."
Held's face lit up revealing a big smile when asked about the incoming talent at the running back position. UCF did about as well as anybody could have imagined by landing two of Florida's best talents in Jawon Hamilton and Adrian Killins.
"When the old LOIs came in with those boys, obviously it was very exciting," Held said. "Both those guys can really run and they give us a dynamic player back there and a guy in space that's a home run hitter. When those guys came in, I was very excited. Great kids. They're pumped. We're pumped. They give us another gear that really will help this offense."
Going forward, Held will continue to recruit the junior colleges and his piece of Florida will be the Tampa Bay area.
"Every coach has a region in Florida," Held said. "We want to be in a position where every kid knows about us. Obviously we're not going to get them all, but we want this brand out there because this is a great place. When kids come to this school, they're just amazed. Honestly, we're better than Power Five schools in terms of what we have here. We just want to get kids on our campus because when they see it, it's a big deal."
https://ucf.n.rivals.com/news/held-played-key-role-in-frost-s-first-recruiting-class
