This will go down as the quietest January ever in UCF recruiting history, thanks to the early signing period.
The new rules went into effect last year, but we were dealing with a coaching change so there were a few more spots to be filled plus there was also the drama that comes with the late pursuit of a high-profile quarterback (Brock Purdy, who went to Iowa State).
That's not the case this year. The bulk of UCF's 2019 class is already officially signed, so we'll have just a trickle of recruiting happenings between now and Feb. 6.
Before I head into a couple updates, let's get refreshed with what's already happened. UCF currently has 21 signees between high school and junior college recruits, transfers and even some who are already enrolled.
Here's the current group of UCF 2019 full scholarship additions which count against the 25 limit (this includes transfers which aren't applicable to the Rivals list)
QB
-Dillon Gabriel*
-Brandon Wimbush* (Notre Dame grad transfer)
RB
-Damarius Good
WR
-Ryan O'Keefe
-Jarrad Baker Jr.
-Justin Menard
-Amari Johnson
OL
-Adrian Medley*
-Matt Lee
-Allan Adams
DL
-Tre'Mon Morris-Brash (DE)
-Noah Hancock (DT)
-Jalen Pinkney (DE)
-Keenan Hester (DT)
-Dallaz Corbitt (DE)
-Raymond Cutts (DE)
-Cam Goode* (DT, Virginia Tech transfer)
LB
-Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste*
-Tatum Bethune*
DB
-Tay Gowan*
-Jordan Hayes* (Duke grad transfer)
Other additions:
-DL Kam'Ron Green
-P Alan Kervin*
-LB Rico Kearney* (Virginia Tech transfer)
-WR Devin Nixon* (WKU grad transfer)
*Already enrolled
Notes:
That's 21 commitments towards the 25 limit, so there are four spots left.
UCF's release in December included Kam'Ron Green and Alan Kervin, but noted they did not sign an NLI but rather a "financial aid agreement."
Kearney and Nixon and coming in as walk-ons.
In the case of Rico Kearney, UCF is getting a scholarship worthy player without having to expend one right off the bat. Kearney likely will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, though UCF will apply for immediate eligibility. He was unhappy and felt under-utilized at VT and just wanted to be back in Florida. If he emerges to be a top contributor (and this applies to any walk-on), he could be placed on scholarship after one year and not have it count against the 25 yearly limit. It does count against the 85, but most schools will always have available scholarships floating around due to attrition, NFL Draft departures, etc.
UCF and other schools typically have the same attitude towards specialists - kickers, punters and long snappers. They want players to walk on at first and if they earn the starting job they'll be placed on scholarship later.
***
Speaking of players sitting out, I recently learned that Cam Goode falls under the transfer rule guidelines.
Here's a Cliff's of what happened:
Goode was a top VT recruit in the Class of 2018 and showed up for summer school. Goode was unhappy and left VT in July, prior to the start of preseason camp. He was given a full release. While he wasn't enrolled in enough hours to start his NCAA eligibility clock (he'll be a true freshman at UCF this upcoming season), he still falls under transfer guidelines because he received financial assistance from VT (summer school).
What that means: As it currently stands, Goode has to sit out this upcoming season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, even though he wasn't physically at VT during the football season.
However, UCF intends to file a waiver with the NCAA for immediate eligibility. It seems harsh to punish a player by forcing him to sit essentially two seasons. There is optimism it will be granted, but you can't be certain of anything until it happens. It's a big deal because UCF really is facing a full rebuild of the defensive line and needs big bodies inside. Goode is thought to be a crucial part of UCF's future plans at the position.
***
Kendre' Gant announced earlier this week that his recruitment was now open. The Port St. Joe LB committed to UCF back in the summer, but his academic standing worsened and put qualification in serious jeopardy, so UCF couldn't take a risk on signing him.
A similar scenario is expected to unfold with two other commitments still technically on the list, Miles Dickens and Deonte Stanley.
OL Marcus Finger could grayshirt.
***
So back to filling out the rest of the 2019 class. UCF has four spots left and ideally would use them for two offensive players and two on defense.
The big fish that went unsigned early is Pensacola (Fla.) West Florida Tech OL Darius Washington. He's been a longtime commitment to Mississippi State, but has been looking around. He took fall visits to South Carolina, Miami and UCF in addition to MSU.
Washington has one visit left and he's actually going to take a second OV to Miami this weekend. There's a new NCAA rule that allows an additional OV if there is a change in a program's head coach. He can do that with Miami since Manny Diaz replaced Mark Richt.
This certainly looks positive for Miami's chances, but UCF plans to continue the fight.
With offensive tackle being such a big question going forward - UCF graduated both starters in Wyatt Miller and Jake Brown - there's a sense the staff may save a spot for a graduate transfer offensive tackle. There should be a big new wave of available grad transfers following the spring and summer semesters.
On the defensive side, UCF initially thought about signing two more high school DBs, but Nevelle Clarke's unexpected return makes the DB spot a little more solid, so UCF may decide to sign one DB and one more DL.
***
And that top DL target is visiting this weekend: Soni Fonua, a junior college defensive lineman from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder recorded 63 tackles and four sacks this past season.
Fonua, a native of Salt Lake City, visited Nebraska last weekend (that's one his tweets below) and he has future visits scheduled to Oklahoma State (Jan. 25) and Kansas (Feb. 1). He called his Nebraska visit a "10."
The new rules went into effect last year, but we were dealing with a coaching change so there were a few more spots to be filled plus there was also the drama that comes with the late pursuit of a high-profile quarterback (Brock Purdy, who went to Iowa State).
That's not the case this year. The bulk of UCF's 2019 class is already officially signed, so we'll have just a trickle of recruiting happenings between now and Feb. 6.
Before I head into a couple updates, let's get refreshed with what's already happened. UCF currently has 21 signees between high school and junior college recruits, transfers and even some who are already enrolled.
Here's the current group of UCF 2019 full scholarship additions which count against the 25 limit (this includes transfers which aren't applicable to the Rivals list)
QB
-Dillon Gabriel*
-Brandon Wimbush* (Notre Dame grad transfer)
RB
-Damarius Good
WR
-Ryan O'Keefe
-Jarrad Baker Jr.
-Justin Menard
-Amari Johnson
OL
-Adrian Medley*
-Matt Lee
-Allan Adams
DL
-Tre'Mon Morris-Brash (DE)
-Noah Hancock (DT)
-Jalen Pinkney (DE)
-Keenan Hester (DT)
-Dallaz Corbitt (DE)
-Raymond Cutts (DE)
-Cam Goode* (DT, Virginia Tech transfer)
LB
-Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste*
-Tatum Bethune*
DB
-Tay Gowan*
-Jordan Hayes* (Duke grad transfer)
Other additions:
-DL Kam'Ron Green
-P Alan Kervin*
-LB Rico Kearney* (Virginia Tech transfer)
-WR Devin Nixon* (WKU grad transfer)
*Already enrolled
Notes:
That's 21 commitments towards the 25 limit, so there are four spots left.
UCF's release in December included Kam'Ron Green and Alan Kervin, but noted they did not sign an NLI but rather a "financial aid agreement."
Kearney and Nixon and coming in as walk-ons.
In the case of Rico Kearney, UCF is getting a scholarship worthy player without having to expend one right off the bat. Kearney likely will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, though UCF will apply for immediate eligibility. He was unhappy and felt under-utilized at VT and just wanted to be back in Florida. If he emerges to be a top contributor (and this applies to any walk-on), he could be placed on scholarship after one year and not have it count against the 25 yearly limit. It does count against the 85, but most schools will always have available scholarships floating around due to attrition, NFL Draft departures, etc.
UCF and other schools typically have the same attitude towards specialists - kickers, punters and long snappers. They want players to walk on at first and if they earn the starting job they'll be placed on scholarship later.
***
Speaking of players sitting out, I recently learned that Cam Goode falls under the transfer rule guidelines.
Here's a Cliff's of what happened:
Goode was a top VT recruit in the Class of 2018 and showed up for summer school. Goode was unhappy and left VT in July, prior to the start of preseason camp. He was given a full release. While he wasn't enrolled in enough hours to start his NCAA eligibility clock (he'll be a true freshman at UCF this upcoming season), he still falls under transfer guidelines because he received financial assistance from VT (summer school).
What that means: As it currently stands, Goode has to sit out this upcoming season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, even though he wasn't physically at VT during the football season.
However, UCF intends to file a waiver with the NCAA for immediate eligibility. It seems harsh to punish a player by forcing him to sit essentially two seasons. There is optimism it will be granted, but you can't be certain of anything until it happens. It's a big deal because UCF really is facing a full rebuild of the defensive line and needs big bodies inside. Goode is thought to be a crucial part of UCF's future plans at the position.
***
Kendre' Gant announced earlier this week that his recruitment was now open. The Port St. Joe LB committed to UCF back in the summer, but his academic standing worsened and put qualification in serious jeopardy, so UCF couldn't take a risk on signing him.
A similar scenario is expected to unfold with two other commitments still technically on the list, Miles Dickens and Deonte Stanley.
OL Marcus Finger could grayshirt.
***
So back to filling out the rest of the 2019 class. UCF has four spots left and ideally would use them for two offensive players and two on defense.
The big fish that went unsigned early is Pensacola (Fla.) West Florida Tech OL Darius Washington. He's been a longtime commitment to Mississippi State, but has been looking around. He took fall visits to South Carolina, Miami and UCF in addition to MSU.
Washington has one visit left and he's actually going to take a second OV to Miami this weekend. There's a new NCAA rule that allows an additional OV if there is a change in a program's head coach. He can do that with Miami since Manny Diaz replaced Mark Richt.
This certainly looks positive for Miami's chances, but UCF plans to continue the fight.
With offensive tackle being such a big question going forward - UCF graduated both starters in Wyatt Miller and Jake Brown - there's a sense the staff may save a spot for a graduate transfer offensive tackle. There should be a big new wave of available grad transfers following the spring and summer semesters.
On the defensive side, UCF initially thought about signing two more high school DBs, but Nevelle Clarke's unexpected return makes the DB spot a little more solid, so UCF may decide to sign one DB and one more DL.
***
And that top DL target is visiting this weekend: Soni Fonua, a junior college defensive lineman from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder recorded 63 tackles and four sacks this past season.
Fonua, a native of Salt Lake City, visited Nebraska last weekend (that's one his tweets below) and he has future visits scheduled to Oklahoma State (Jan. 25) and Kansas (Feb. 1). He called his Nebraska visit a "10."
Last edited:
