News

May 04, 2023

5 Potential ‘Booms’ After Bounce House Weekend

ORLANDO, FL - The stage is set for Gus Malzahn and UCF with 22 players having

ORLANDO, FL - The stage is set for Gus Malzahn and UCF with 22 players having locked in their official visits for Bounce House Weekend. UCF's premier recruiting event of the year will kick off June 2nd with arrival day and team bonding events between the recruits, fully beginning Malzahn's 3rd recruiting window with the Knights. Saturday will be full of recruiting games as a large group of players on unofficial visits join the festivities, before the players on their official visit bond more with their player host. Sunday morning breakfast and hanging out with the coaches will conclude the event, the breakfast being a big talking point for a few recruits last year. This will be the first class that UCF recruits while playing in the Big XII with the Knights officially joining the conference on July 1st after announcing the move during Malzahn's first season. That move shows on the recruiting trail with this year's event playing host to 12 official visits for blue chip recruits according to the 247composite score, compared to the 3 at last year's event. The Knights have been very successful with recruiting during their premier event under Malzahn with all 3 blue chip players who attended last year signing with the Knights, including John Walker who is the highest ranked player to sign with UCF in program history. UCF's visitors this year hail from five different states with a focus on players from Florida and Georgia, as well as one prospect from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. The Knights will also host three sets of high school teammates with Carrollwood Day School (Fla.) wide receiver Bredell Richardson and edge rusher Solomon Williams, Grayson High School (Ga.) offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr and tight end Kylan Fox, and Langston Hughes High School (Ga.) defensive back Jakob Gude and wide receiver Joseph Stone as duos making their way to Orlando for visits. The Knights will host 5 linebackers, 4 defensive backs, 4 offensive linemen, 3 edge rushers, 3 wide receivers, 1 defensive tackle, 1 running back, and 1 tight end for officials, and we will take a closer look at each of the confirmed visitors as well as the confirmed unofficial visits below.

UCF will be hosting several of the top players from the state of Florida, with 9 of the 11 players from Florida visiting ranking inside the top 100 players in the state. The shift back to recruiting local talent since Malzahn arrived on campus has been a stark contrast to the Knights' final season under now Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel who landed just 4 players from the Sunshine State. Malzahn has landed the same number of blue chip recruits from the state as that total number in just two seasons of recruiting, and with the Big XII patch now officially on the jerseys he has another feather in his recruiting cap.

Leading off the charge of Florida's elite players making their way to UCF's campus is 4 star Blountstown High School (Fla.) defensive lineman Artavius Jones who ranks as the best player scheduled to attend by the 247composite score. His ranking puts him as the number 153 player in the country, as well as a top 20 defensive lineman with the likes of Florida State and Miami also in for his services. As a junior he was credited with 58 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup, leading Blountstown to a 9-5 record and making the Florida 1R playoff semifinal game. Jones has been made a priority by defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin with Martin spending his birthday on campus while Jones was visiting. UCF love his raw power and quick motor with the hope that he could play a role similar to Ricky Barber Jr who played under Martin at Western Kentucky before following him to the Knights. A real iron man athlete, Jones competes in 4 different high school sports with basketball, football, track & field, and weightlifting.

The sole official visitor from "the state of Orlando" this weekend will be 4 star Evans High School (Fla.) safety Brandon Jacob who has visited UCF a few times now including a visit during the winter while UCF linebacker Andrew Harris was on an official visit. Jacob has quickly rose the ranks as an elite safety prospect in the national spotlight receiving offers from elite programs like Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas A&M since the turn of the year. He had his breakout season as a junior, becoming Evans' premier player he recorded 69 tackles, 10 pass breakups, 5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and returned 2 interceptions for touchdowns in 10 games. That season has really boosted his ranking now coming in as the number 160 player in the country after starting the 2022 season at 297 and outside of the Top247. Malzahn and defensive coordinator Addison Williams were on hand for his game against Lake Mary and UCF cornerback Braeden Marshall, where Lake Mary played a system to put the ball as far from Jacob as possible. A commitment during the Summer is likely the plan, with official visits currently set for UCF, Texas A&M, and Maryland.

The highest ranked offensive player on an official visit during Bounce House Weekend will be 4 star Tampa Catholic High School (Fla.) interior offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis. Initially being considered by some schools as a defensive tackle prospect by some Pierre-Louis has rose the ranks among offensive linemen and is ranked as the number 195 player in the country, and number 12 among inter offensive linemen. The Tampa product has been a major target of offensive line coach Herb Hand since this staff took over at UCF, and had a standout visit during last year's Bounce House Weekend where he won an eating competition in a close race against other recruits. He's also became a household name on social media from his track exploits, running a competitive time in the 100M dash, despite being nearly twice the size of the other competitors. With the likes of Alabama, Oklahoma, and Oregon interested, UCF's family atmosphere has stood out. He has an elite family pedigree with his brother Richard Gouraige starting over 40 games for the Florida Gators before signing with the Buffalo Bills this offseason as a undrafted free agent.

One of the more surprising official visitor names for UCF if you hadn't been keeping close tabs on running back coach Kam Martin is 4 star St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fla.) running back Stacy Gage. The Raider running back has previously been ranked as high as a 5 star, and spent time with IMG Academy and Wharton High School. Gage has been a long time recruit of Martin's with the running back coach taking on a large responsibility with future classes while serving as an assistant in 2021. They maintained in contact during Martin's season at Incarnate Word and brief spell at Texas State, and when he came back to Orlando, Gage was one of the first players on his priority list. Another player who's been recruiting Gage to UCF is 2025 running back Taevion Swint who committed to the Knights in April, with the two talking on social media about teaming up in Orlando. Splitting time with Penn State running back Kaytron Allen at IMG as a high school sophomore Gage had 123 carries, totaling up 1,243 yards and 18 touchdowns while earning himself Sophomore All-American honors from MaxPreps. Transferring to Wharton as a junior, he had 139 carries for 704 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding another 115 yards on 9 receptions. Gage who ranks as the number 225 player in the country is receiving interest from Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, and USC among others.

A definite surprise official visit for the Knights will come from 4 star Carrollwood Day School (Fla.) wide receiver Bredell Richardson. The quick and effective route runner ranks as the number 259 player in the class, and recently named a top four of LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, and Oregon. Richardson may not be the fastest or tallest receiver in the class, however his route running is absolute class and he consistently is able to get separation against high school defensive backs. Spending all three seasons of his high school career on varsity he's recorded 65 receptions for 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns during his career. Wide receiver coach Grant Heard has signed one high school receiver while at UCF, but over his entire career he's coached the likes of AJ Brown, Ty Fryfogle, Van Jefferson, Tre Nixon, DK Metcalf, and Laquon Treadwell while at Indiana and Ole Miss.

A player from my neck of the woods down in southwest Florida will be visiting as well with 4 star Naples High School (Fla.) safety Kensley Faustin planning to attend the event. He would be UCF's second defensive back in as many years from southwest Florida with his friend and former 7v7 teammate Jason Duclona joining the Knights last season. Faustin ranks as the number 407 player in the class, and his been receiving significant interest from Auburn and Florida State who have set official visits with him later in the month, while he also plans to visit LSU, Penn State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M during the fall. Starting his high school career at my alma mater Palmetto Ridge High School (Fla.) Faustin broke out playing both ways as a sophomore recording 75 tackles, 8 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 interceptions playing primarily at safety. While on the offensive side of the ball he played mostly receiver, totaling 276 yards and 4 touchdowns, also returning a kickoff for a score. As a junior he transferred to Naples, totaling 46 tackles, 7 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble, helping Naples go 9-3 and making the regional finals of Florida's 3S playoffs. UCF has made their way down to Naples this Spring to see Faustin in person and have really talked about how he would fit with UCF's culture and into their defensive scheme.

Another late addition to the Bounce House Weekend lineup is 3 star Carrollwood Day School (Fla.) edge rusher Solomon Williams who reports over 40 offers including the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC among others. Despite the massive offer list of major programs in college football is ranked as the number 552 player in the country. Standing at an impressive 6'3, 250 lbs he offers a quick burst off the line as a stand up edge rusher, and is an amazing athlete for someone with his frame. 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote in his scouting report that Williams has a very high motor that won't allow him to give up on a play. That was exemplified with some eye popping junior stats with 61 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and a monstrous 16 sacks in 10 games. He's not named a top school lis or finalized official visit plans as of today, but has been a talk of recruiting during the Spring for Clemson.

The only player to have already committed to the Knights that will be on campus for an official visit this weekend will be 3 star Lincoln High School (Fla.) linebacker Sam Robinson. He committed to UCF two weeks after receiving his offer from linebacker coach Ernie Sims III who is a fellow Tallahassee, Florida native. Robinson who is ranked as the number 600 player in the country told Knights247 the connection he and Sims have, both being linebackers from Tallahassee was very important to his decision. As a junior he started next to 5 star Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson, recording 93 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. His size and speed gives him the versatility to play either linebacker spot for the Knights, and his role for the weekend will be as the primary recruiter.

Another big time defender will be visiting the Knights in the form of 3 star Hudson High School (Fla.) edge rusher Elias Williams who has been on campus multiple times throughout the Spring. Williams has set four official visits for the month of June with Indiana, Kansas, and Missouri receiving the other visits. Planning to announce his decision in December Williams currently sits as the number 777 player in the country with Clemson interested in having him visit over the Summer. A long and athletic edge Williams also plays basketball at Hudson averaging over 10 points and 8 rebounds per game as a junior. On the gridiron he racked up 51 tackles, 29 quarterback hurries, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.

Another player with a recruiting battle heating up is 3 star Gaither High School (Fla.) athlete Andrew Brinson IV who has yet to announce a commitment date, but announced top eight school list containing Georgia Tech, Ilinois, Louisville, NC State, Oregon State, Purdue, UCF, and Wisconsin. With that list of schools he's already scheduled official visits to Oregon State and Purdue alongside UCF, and has received a crystal ball prediction to Oregon State. He's become very close with wide receiver coach Grant Heard and tight end coach Brian Blackmon who have been his main recruiters telling him how he'd fit into the offense. Brinson played at Steinbrenner High School as a junior where he caught 54 passes for 668 yards and 9 touchdowns.

UCF under Malzahn also have hit the state of Georgia hard on the recruiting trail with 5 players leaving the Peach State for Orlando from the high school ranks since his arrival. While UCF is yet to land a player in the 2024 class from Georgia it is only matter of time, with 8 of Georgia's top 100 players scheduled to be on campus. The Knights have focused recruiting efforts in Georgia with a billboard campaign highlighting players from the Atlanta area during Malzahn's trip to the state.

One of the biggest priorities of UCF's for the class of 2024 and the highest ranked visitor outside of the state of Florida is Grayson High School (Ga.) athlete Kylan Fox. The Atlanta area tight end has earned a reputation as one of the best offensive weapons in the class. He spent some time in Orlando this Spring both on an unofficial visit and playing with California Power 7v7 which has became a big time organization for UCF's recruiting. He‘s received a lot of interest across the country, however he named a top 6 of Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Ole Miss, and UCF. When talking to Knights247 about the Knights he was very happy with the environment hanging out with tight ends coach Brian Blackmon as well as offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw, and assistant Alex Mathis, as well as players Javon Baker and Randy Pittman. Once seen as a potential edge rusher, he's made it clear he plans to play tight end at the collegiate level with his performances in camps. As a junior, Fox caught 25 passes, putting up 326 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also tallying 2 sacks, 2 QB hurries and 1 pass breakup. His performances helped lead the Rams to a 10-3 record, making the quarterfinals of Georgia's 6A playoffs. Playing at the Orlando OT7 Tournament I watched Fox routinely use his length and change of direction to get open and make decisive catches, including a game winning touchdown over Raw Miami in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Fox' rating puts him as the number 219 player in the country, and while he has visits planned to Colorado, Florida State, Miami, and UCF it's believed that Florida State and UCF are the schools leading the way. It will be interesting to see how his process wraps with a commitment planned for July 4th, he currently has one crystal ball prediction for him to land with Florida State.

Maybe the biggest priority in the class of 2024 since Malzahn's arrival outside of commit Sincere Edwards has been 4 star Grayson High School (Ga.) offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr. The Georgia lineman has been on UCF's campus multiple times and spoke glowingly of his relationship with the UCF staff. A "national recruit" Flynn could choose almost any school in the country, and for him to consider UCF is another step into the big leagues that John Walker made for the Knights last year. Regarded by a lot of people as the best center in the class Flynn has shown some versatility at guard and tackle, but he truly is an elite center in the mold of former UCF center Matthew Lee. Primarily working at guard, Flynn has been a center and guard on varsity since his freshman year which is a big accomplishment at Grayson. He's also earned a lot of plaudits this camp season, working at all 5 line positions and earning several MVPs including an Elite 11 All 22 finals invite. Flynn's rating puts him as the number 260 player in the country, and has named a commitment date of July 2nd, having originally scheduled his commitment in August. He’ll also take an official visit to Texas A&M who are seemingly UCF's biggest competitor for his services.

Starting off a pair of defensive backs from Georgia is 3 star Langston Hughes High School (Ga.) safety Jakob Gude who ranks as the number 456 player in the country. He named UCF among his top ten schools alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, and Texas A&M. Gude has previously said he plans to take his recruitment process slow and take official visits during the Fall, but UCF will get an early chance with him. Playing alongside North Carolina cornerback Kaleb Cost at Sandy Creek High School (Ga.) last season, Gude played cornerback, linebacker, and safety on their route to winning the Georgia 3A championship. His versatility is what excites defensive coordinator Addison Williams and secondary coach David Gibbs who have loved recruiting players who can be cross trained at multiple defensive back positions.

His fellow Georgia defensive back comes in the form of 3 star Westlake High School (Ga.) safety Christian Peterson who is ranked as the number 476 player in the nation. He listed a top eight of Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Texas A&M, UCF, and Virginia Tech last month. With a commitment coming soon he's scheduled official visits to UCF and North Carolina, with Auburn also likely to get a visit. Peterson worked around the secondary as a junior, and as the wildcat quarterback for a Westlake team that finished with a 9-4 record. Originally from Dothan, Alabama he currently holds a crystal ball prediction to Auburn.

UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand has been very good at recruiting at recruiting players from outside of the state of Florida to come to UCF, including Georgia offensive lineman Johnathan Cline who enrolled this January. He'd like to add another big time player with 3 star Parkview High School (Ga.) offensive tackle Jordan Floyd who is rated as the number 672 in the class. Floyd visited the Knights for a Spring scrimmage, spending time with Malzahn and Hand during his visit, and after the visit he was already planning a return. As the starting left tackle for Parkview he helped the Panthers finish with an 8-4 record, while recording about 422 yards and 27 points per game. Floyd started off the month of June by naming his top six schools with Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Florida, and UCF.

Hand also has made an impression with 3 star Houston County High School (Ga.) interior offensive lineman Kahlil House, who comes in as the number 777 player in the nation. House recently named UCF in his top twelve schools, alongside Cincinnati, Louisville, and Ole Miss who also plan to host him for official visits this month. He told Knights247 that UCF reminds him of how his high school plays, with him starting at right guard for Houston County going 10-3 on the year while averaging 465 yards and 43 points per game. He also told Knights247 in the Spring that he hopes to choose a school prior to his senior season.

Malzahn's arrival has also added with it an impressive amount of players who committed to power five programs to flip their commitments to UCF. In the last two classes the Knights have flipped 8 commitments, with 7 of those having been previously committed to power five programs. Of those schools both Florida and Miami had two commitments flip, while Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Iowa State, and Rutgers all had 1 player flip to UCF.

UCF will also play host to LSU commit and 4 star Summer Creek High School (Texas) linebacker Xavier Atkins. The Louisiana native spent the past three years at Jonesboro-Hodge High School (La.) where he racked up an impressive offer list. He also put the work in off the field, earning his offer and committing to LSU after completing a Spanish course during the summer semester after his sophomore year. He was offered by UCF in March, following the arrival of linebacker coach Ernie Sims III and running back coach Kam Martin, with the latter of the two spending the last year coaching in Texas. He's everything Sims loves in a linebacker with 4.5 speed and a frame already carrying over 210 lbs, he’d be able to make instant impact. The December transfer to live in Texas and finish his career at Summer Creek came after Atkins became one of the most feared defenders in Louisiana. In his sophomore and junior campaigns he combined for over 350 tackles, while earning all-Louisiana first team honors both seasons. That included a sophomore year in which he recorded 218 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries, while leading Jonesboro-Hodge to the Louisiana 2A state semifinals. Atkins’ rating puts him as the number 233 player in the country, and despite his early commitment to his home state school several teams have pushed for him to flip to them with Arkansas, TCU, and Utah also scheduled to host him on official visits, and Penn State, Texas, and Texas A&M all showing significant interest.

Atkins won't be the lone LSU commit at UCF for Bounce House Weekend as he'll be joined by 4 star Langston Hughes High School (Ga.) wide receiver Joseph "Jojo" Stone who comes in at an impressive number 262 player in the nation. Jojo has been long admired by the Knights with UCF in very early to his recruitment, however an early commitment slowed their pursuit of the talented wide receiver. Adding a wide receiver with elite burst and ability to play inside or out will be crucial for UCF and the Langston Hughes playmaker adds just that, with the ability to run a route tree, while also having explosive plays down the field. Stone committed to LSU early in the process, but is still letting his recruitment play out with UCF and Texas already having official visits scheduled, while schools like Florida and USC remain in close contact.

A player from a former AAC rival program who is also joining the Big XII will be at UCF as well with 4 star Troup County High School (Ga.) linebacker Qua Birdsong set to attend. Birdsong committed to Cincinnati earlier this year, but has remained in contact with NC State and UCF who both will get him back on campus this month. As a junior playing edge and linebacker Birdsong totaled 49 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2 blocked punts, and 2 forced fumbles. He's also from the alma mater of UCF wide receivers Kobe Hudson and Dwartney Wortham. Atkins and Birdsong won't be the only linebacker committed elsewhere to attend Bounce House Weekend, with a visitor that's been kept under wraps also planning to attend.

UCF has also started branching out into new states that have been previously untapped by Malzahn's staff during his time with the Knights. Of his 30 players to sign with the program, only 3 have not been from Florida or Georgia. Of those three players only Ja'Maric Morris who joined the Knights from Hutchinson Community College and is originally from South Carolina play on the defensive side of the ball.

UCF has been involved with 4 star Valley View High School (Ark.) linebacker Brian Huff for a long period of time. His recruitment reminds me of UCF linebacker Troy Ford Jr last cycle, with the number 277 player in the class naming Arkansas, Mississippi State, Missouri, Notre Dame, and UCF as his favorites. He already has official visits locked in with Missouri and Notre Dame, and is expected to take one with Arkansas who holds two crystal ball predictions to land his signature. During his last two years of high school he has racked up an impressive, 164 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 5 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 2 sacks, and 2 touchdowns.

The Knights will also host the very underrated 3 star Germantown High School (Tenn.) edge rusher DJ Allen, who despite an impressive offer list and tape is rated as the number 1,338 player in the country. Racking up 42 tackles and 14 tackles for loss earned First Team All-Metro for the Memphis area, which is a connection to UCF with defensive ends coach Kenny Ingram also coming out of high school in the Memphis area, and began coaching in Memphis. Allen has other official visits set to Louisville and Purdue, and plans to announce his decision on the first of August.

The Knights will also host several unofficial visits on Saturday for the large event, including four UCF commits. 3 star Wekiva High School (Fla.) defensive lineman Sincere Edwards announced he’d be taking his official visit with the Knights the following week, while making his third visit to Bounce House Weekend, the only player to attend each year. 3 star Armwood High School (Fla.) wide receiver Kason Stokes also tells Knights247 that he’ll be visiting unofficially on Saturday, while taking his official visit in the Fall. He also tells me that he has shut down his recruitment, and is "locked in" with the Knights and has been recruiting multiple players including Andrew Brinson IV to UCF. 3 star Bartram Trail High School (Fla.) quarterback Riley Trujilo will also be on campus Saturday, with an official visit coming later in the year, he's told me about his excitement to recruit the likes of Kylan Fox to come to UCF and hang out with potential future teammates. The sole 2025 commit for the Knights, 4 star Osceola High School (Fla.) running back Taevion Swint will attend his first Bounce House Weekend as a commit.

More than just UCF commits will be attending on an unofficial basis though, with the Knights hosting 2024 recruits West Orange High School (Fla.) wide receiver Jordyn Bridgewater, Wakulla High School (Fla.) athlete Nehemiah Chandler, The Benjamin School (Fla.) offensive tackle Chase Malamala, Rockledge High School (Fla.) linebacker DJ McCormick, Dr Phillips High School (Fla.) defensive back Jashad Presley, Mainland High School (Fla.) defensive back Ezaiah Shine, and Olympia High School (Fla.) defensive back Jalon Thompson. As of today both Malamala and McCormick have official visits planned for later in the month. The Knights will also be hosting 2025 prospects Newberry High School (Fla.) defensive lineman Jarquez Carter, Port Charlotte High School (Fla.) defensive lineman Myron Charles, and 4 star Calhoun High School (Ga.) tight end Emaree Winston.