Jake Kreul received one of the earliest offers in UCF history.
Last summer prior to his ninth grade year, the Class of 2026 Bishop Moore defensive end was offered by the UCF coaching staff following a standout camp performance. There aren't many players that receive offers prior to playing one down of high school football.
"It was great," Kreul said about the UCF offer." I feel like it put a chip on my shoulder going into high school. It really helped my confidence. It was a great feeling knowing I could compete with high schoolers as an eighth grader."
Kreul, who is being recruited by defensive line coaches Kenny Martin and Kenny Ingram, says they loved what they saw of his pass-rushing ability.
"I'm great at rushing the edge, that's my strong suit," Kreul said. "They got to see me in camp my eighth grade year. Now I'm two inches taller and I've put on 20 or 30 pounds. They like me as a pass rusher and now my goal is to improve other areas of my game like stopping the run to become more of an all-around player."
The Orlando native has basically grown up following UCF Football.
"It's the hometown school," Kreul said. "I've been going to games all my life. I know a bunch of people on the team. I've been training with two of the freshmen that just came in, Kaven Call and John Walker. I know they love it there, so I'd love it too. I know it's a great school, a great culture, a great program with great coaches. Just an all-around great school."
Kreul's grandfather would often take him to UCF games growing up. His uncle is former UCF basketball player Ben Stout who has been a co-host on the UCF Knightline podcast.
As a freshman at Bishop Moore, Kreul registered 49 tackles and seven sacks. Last December, Kreul competed in the Adidas FBU Freshman All-American Game and finished with 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and six overall tackles.
A few more offers have come in now that he's heading into his sophomore year, including Marshall, FIU and UMass. In addition to UCF, he visited Florida State and South Florida this spring.
Kreul said he'll definitely return to UCF soon. He'll be back in the Bounce House for the inaugural Big 12 season.
"UCF is a big-time Power Five school now," Kreul said. "I'm really excited to watch them this season. It's gonna be a good time."
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