UCF has expanded its recruiting reach into the Midwest, as Portage Central (Mich.) tight end Charlie Jilek announced his commitment to the Knights following a recent visit to Orlando.
Jilek, who plays both tight end and linebacker at the high school just outside Kalamazoo, earned his offer from UCF last week after making the trip south to see the program up close. He said the journey to becoming a Knight began earlier this year when he reached out to UCF.
"I DMed Coach (Alex) Ward on Twitter and sent him my film," Jilek said. "He said he really liked it and was going to share it with the rest of the staff. They all watched and said they really liked it too. So we started talking, and then we planned a visit. I'd been talking to (offensive coordinator and tight ends) Coach (Steve) Cooper once or twice a week, and we built a really good relationship. That visit last Tuesday just highlighted everything."
Jilek was blown away by his visit, which included sitting in on special teams and tight ends meetings, a full facilities and campus tour, and multiple conversations with head coach Scott Frost, Cooper, and the rest of the staff. He was very appreciative for the hospitality shown by Director of Player Personnel Ryan Beer, who escorted him and his family on the tour.
"They made me feel at home and wanted, which is something I didn't feel at some other schools," Jilek said. "I talked to Coach Frost a couple of times. I even met his mom, which my mom really liked. She was just walking around the facility, which was really cool. The lunch was amazing too. We met the chef, and he told us about everything the players eat. The campus was super impressive. I didn't know what to expect from a Florida university, since I've only seen places like Michigan State. It was just different in the best way."
Jilek didn't have an offer going into the visit, but that changed before he left.
"It came from Coach Frost, which was really cool," he said. "Coach Cooper had kind of hinted at it, but to hear Coach Frost say it, that they really wanted me, it meant a lot. You want to go to a place where you're wanted and where it feels like home."
Jilek, who is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, plays both sides of the ball at Portage Central.
Defensively, he's regarded as one of the best linebackers in his area. He's coming off a season in which he recorded 104 tackles, eight TFLs, three sacks, an interception, four pass break ups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
UCF sees big potential in him as a tight end, and he agrees with the fit.
"They like me as a tight end because I'm physical and I can block," he said. "I broke both my hands this season, so I couldn't really show what I can do in the passing game, but I still showed I can come off the ball and hit people. They want to build that in their tight end room, and I think I have the skill set to be really good if I keep developing, which is super important to me."
Yes, you read that right: Jilek played most of his junior season with two broken hands.
"I broke one while blocking, my finger kind of twisted and it broke my second metacarpal, then six weeks later, right before I was supposed to get that cast off, I broke the other one tackling someone," he said. "But I'm all good now. When I visited UCF, their trainer did a physical and he said I was all good."
Once Jilek returned home from the visit, the decision didn't take long. After thinking it over and talking with his family, he called Coach Cooper on Saturday night to make it official, just as Cooper and Frost were watching the Final Four.
"They were super excited," Jilek said. "Coach Cooper was like, 'This made my day.' We talked about the scrimmage they had and how excited they were to get me back down there for my official visit. We're looking at June 20-22, or maybe earlier, late May, early June."
Frost is the type of head coach he wants to play for.
"That's something that was really important to me, I feel like sometimes you won't be able to talk to head coaches when you're going to a school," Jilek said. "During practice, he would come up and talk to me, not even about football, but, like, my other interests. He talked to me about fishing for a long time, bass fishing in Michigan and in Florida. That was just really cool. Not just super serious stuff, but he was just talking to me like I was just any other guy. It was really cool."
The move to the Big 12 also added to the appeal.
"It's awesome," Jilek said. "I've got friends going to different schools, even just as students in the Big 12, so it'll be cool to match up against them and their teams, like BYU, Colorado. It's just awesome."
He's also planning to arrive next January as an early enrollee.
"It's important to get ahead, especially moving to Florida" Jilek said. "I think it would be hard to adjust coming in June, with the heat and everything. Early enrolling is the move."
Jilek's other offers included San Diego State, Arkansas State, Ball State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Ohio. He had visited San Diego State, Michigan State and Rutgers in recent weeks.
Once UCF became an option, Jilek said it was a no-brainer.
"When we were around the team and the coaches, it was different how they welcomed my family," Jilek said. "All the players gave my mom a hug, and she loved that. The coaches were so welcoming. I've had a great relationship with Coach Cooper, and to get a big-time offer like this, it's a blessing. It just felt right. I mean, it's Orlando, you can't really beat Florida."
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