UCF's 2021 recruiting class is adding some international flair.
Leander Wiegand, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive tackle from Germany, committed to the Knights earlier today. He had recently received an offer from the staff.
"I am really grateful and excited," Wiegand said in a message. "UCF said they really liked my abilities and my work attitude."
UCF recruited another lineman from Deutschland in this past recruiting cycle, Paul Rubelt, who is now a true freshman. Leander said he was already somewhat familiar with Paul and did connect with him during his decision-making process.
"I looked up everything I could find and talked to Paul about the school," Wiegand said. "There are several reasons I like UCF a lot. I think it is a great place to get perfect education! Also, I heard great things about the people and the community. And of course the football program looks and sounds amazing. I love to compete in everything and that's why I think it is the right place!"
Wiegand said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered his recruitment. Ideally, he would have embarked on a visit tour during the summer so schools could have become more familiar with him. That's the route that helped many Germans the past couple years gain offers.
TCU, UMass, UConn, Central Michigan and South Florida were among the schools also in contact. Wiegand said he felt most comfortable with UCF's coaches and trusted the advice from Rubelt.
American Football is surging in popularity throughout Germany. Wiegand has been a member of the Aachen Vampires, a team based in the western part of the country near the border with Belgium. (https://www.aachen-vampires.de/)
Germany has also become an international hotspot for college football recruiting in recent years. Players currently committed in the 2021 class include QB Alexander Honig (TCU) and OL Danijel Miletic (Virginia Tech).
In addition to Rubelt signing with UCF, other German players that signed in the 2020 class included DE Alexander Ehrensberger (Notre Dame), TE Maximilian Mang (Syracuse), TE Roberto Miranda (Arizona), OL Miles Zietek (Temple), DE Melle Kreuder (Minnesota) and DE Hugo Klages (UMass).
The 2019 class of Germans featured OL Kariem Al Soufi (Virginia), WR Luke Wentz (Virginia) and DT Joseph Appiah Darkwa (Penn State).
Wiegand is slated to be a mid-year enrollee and enroll in January.
Leander Wiegand, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive tackle from Germany, committed to the Knights earlier today. He had recently received an offer from the staff.
"I am really grateful and excited," Wiegand said in a message. "UCF said they really liked my abilities and my work attitude."
UCF recruited another lineman from Deutschland in this past recruiting cycle, Paul Rubelt, who is now a true freshman. Leander said he was already somewhat familiar with Paul and did connect with him during his decision-making process.
"I looked up everything I could find and talked to Paul about the school," Wiegand said. "There are several reasons I like UCF a lot. I think it is a great place to get perfect education! Also, I heard great things about the people and the community. And of course the football program looks and sounds amazing. I love to compete in everything and that's why I think it is the right place!"
Wiegand said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered his recruitment. Ideally, he would have embarked on a visit tour during the summer so schools could have become more familiar with him. That's the route that helped many Germans the past couple years gain offers.
TCU, UMass, UConn, Central Michigan and South Florida were among the schools also in contact. Wiegand said he felt most comfortable with UCF's coaches and trusted the advice from Rubelt.
American Football is surging in popularity throughout Germany. Wiegand has been a member of the Aachen Vampires, a team based in the western part of the country near the border with Belgium. (https://www.aachen-vampires.de/)
Germany has also become an international hotspot for college football recruiting in recent years. Players currently committed in the 2021 class include QB Alexander Honig (TCU) and OL Danijel Miletic (Virginia Tech).
In addition to Rubelt signing with UCF, other German players that signed in the 2020 class included DE Alexander Ehrensberger (Notre Dame), TE Maximilian Mang (Syracuse), TE Roberto Miranda (Arizona), OL Miles Zietek (Temple), DE Melle Kreuder (Minnesota) and DE Hugo Klages (UMass).
The 2019 class of Germans featured OL Kariem Al Soufi (Virginia), WR Luke Wentz (Virginia) and DT Joseph Appiah Darkwa (Penn State).
Wiegand is slated to be a mid-year enrollee and enroll in January.
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