Early Signing Day for the class of 2022 recruiting cycle has past and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn landed on his promise to “recruit like our hair is on fire,” with the Knights 2021 season now over recruiting is now the main focus for UCF.
Recruiting has now shifted to the class of 2023, which Coach Malzahn said would be even more stacked than his historic first class. This will be the first class of players to play “Power 5” football for UCF as the Knights complete their move to the Big XII Conference in the summer of 2023.
One player has committed in the class so far, Apopka (Apopka, Fla.) defensive lineman Kaven Call, who committed at noon on Christmas Day, citing a Gasparilla Bowl win over the University of Florida as a big reason for committing early. In this article though, outlined targets at each offensive position group for UCF and detailed a little about how they’d fit into UCF’s scheme.
Quarterback
UCF has their eyes firmly locked on one quarterback target in the 2023 recruiting cycle. That quarterback is Malachi Singleton who’s starred for North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) for the past two seasons, winning back to back Georgia 3-7A Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2020 and 2021. Singleton can do it all, he can run over you, past you, or light you up with a 50 yard pass over top.
It’s never the easiest thing to compare someone to a Heisman trophy winner but if Coach Malzahn could bring in Singleton, he would be the closest he has come to coaching Cam Newton, since his season as Newton’s offensive coordinator at Auburn. Standing at an imposing 6’1” and 220-pounds as a high school junior, Singleton would likely arrive at UCF as the largest quarterback in the room with quarterback Joey Gatewood still possibly returning with an extra year of eligibility from the 2020 season.
Running Backs
At the running back position, UCF have been recruiting two running backs to create a best of both worlds duo. Cedric Baxter Jr. a 6’1”, 215-running back for Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) and Norland’s (Miami, Fla.) Javin Simpkins who stands at 5’9” and 175 pounds. The duo is being recruited by both co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tim Harris Jr. as a “fire and ice” style pairing.
With Baxter Jr. seen as a physically dominant downhill runner similar to Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, while Simpkins would play more similarly to the Browns’ Kareem Hunt, as a pass catcher and change of pace back, giving UCF the best of both worlds.
Both runners decommitted from Atlantic Coast Conference teams this year. With Baxter Jr. backing off his pledge to Florida State in April, and Simpkins announcing his decommitment from Georgia Tech earlier this month. Since then, Simpkins has yet to reveal his top schools, but did say that Martin is one of his favorite recruiters. Baxter Jr. has released a Top 7 with UCF in a race with schools like Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, and other elite schools.
Athletes
Coach Malzahn’s system has also heavily utilized athletes who do a mixture of catching and running with former Auburn athlete Anthony Schwartz or UCF wide receiver Amari Johnson being a good blueprint for the position. UCF filled that need in the 2022 cycle with athlete Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) Xavier Townsend, who signed with the Knights on National Signing Day this past Dec. 15. UCF also has two targets for the athlete position in the 2023 cycle, both players primarily have played quarterback in their high school careers.
American Christian (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) athlete Sawyer Deerman and Creed Whittemore from Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.) have both shown elite athleticism and versatility which is perfect for a transition to a role where those characteristics will be utilized. Deerman is an elite runner, being able to make defenders miss with a variety of moves.
Whittemore seems to translate to more of a pass catcher at the college level, with his elite athleticism being his best trait. Whittemore also has familial ties to being a college receiver with his brothers Luke and Trent playing wide receiver at Troy and Florida respectively, and his dad Mark Whittemore who is fourth in all time yards per catch at UCF with 18.1 yards per reception in his time with the Knights. Whittemore is also the cousin of quarterback target Malachi Singleton and the teammate of UCF signee Quan Lee, whom he developed a special bond with, connecting on multiple big pass plays.
Wide Receivers
Coach Malzahn also is targeting multiple players at the wide receiver positions for his offense, with outside receivers seemingly the main need at the position. Two receivers that haven’t committed to a school yet that fit the bill are, Cayden Lee a 5’11, 180 wide receiver from Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Ga.) and 6’3 receiver from Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) Tyler Williams.
Both of the receivers possess elite ball skills with the ability to go up and grab a pass out of thin air and bring it down. Lee can straight up fly with the ability to leave a defense in the dust after one move, but he also poses the threat to jump over the defense, a very similar player to current UCF wide receiver Jaylon Robinson. Williams uses his natural frame to go over the top of receivers, with the speed to create separation.
His football IQ is also tremendous. Williams was listed as a quarterback until the fall when he moved to wide receiver and immediately became one of the most elite wide receiver prospects in the state of Florida. Since the beginning of his junior season he’s received offers from Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, UCF, and others. Williams is also an elite basketball player, being named the “Battle on the Island” (Fleming Island, Fla.) Most Valuable Player.
The other major receiver target for the Knights is currently committed to the University of Florida, Seminole (Sanford, Fla.) receiver Darren “Goldie” Lawrence. The 6’2”, 190-pound pass catcher is an elite receiver, and attends the same high school as UCF signees Demari Henderson, Ja’Cari Henderson, and Kam Moore, as well as former UCF receiver Gabriel Davis, and current UCF tight end Jordan Davis.
Offensive Line
An elite class wouldn’t be complete without a few impact offenses lineman and offensive line coach Herb Hand has gone to work recruiting the next generation of blockers for UCF. Two of UCF’s current targets plying their trade in the Greater Orlando area with Roderick Kearney and Payton Kirkland playing at Orange Park and Dr. Phillips respectively.
Kirkland did recently release a top school list that didn’t feature the Knights, but UCF still is targeting the elite lineman. TJ Shanahan, a versatile lineman that could play guard or tackle also has Orlando ties as he only recently transferred from Timber Creek High School to Austin Westlake (Austin, Texas) which is one of the best programs in the nation and a force in Texas high school football.
The Knights were one of the earliest offers for fast rising offensive tackle prospect Zechariah Owens who was one of the first visitors on campus during the Coach Malzahn era, and he’s since had a blowup in recruiting, reporting almost 15 scholarship offers after only holding three before his visit to UCF. Despite Owens is a natural tackle.
Special Teams
Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Blackmon has already done very well in the recruiting game, bringing in elite kicker Colton Boomer and widely regarded as the best long snapper in the nation in Aidan Fedigan. While currently not regarded as highly as those two Timber Creek kicker Alexander Davis has a clutch gene and could be an under the radar addition to the UCF class to turn up huge. Davis scored all nine points in his team’s victory over Winter Park guaranteeing a Timber Creek playoff appearance. That performance included a 43 yard field goal as time expired in the rain and wind.
Conclusion
In closing, if UCF lands half of these offensive targets, Coach Malzahn and his staff would have come away with the class of a century, rivaling even his recruiting classes at Auburn. With talent all around UCF whether it be in central Florida or in nearby southern states you can bet that UCF will have their say around the recruiting landscape, especially with this being the first class to exclusively play “Power 5” football for the Knights.
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