Ever since his first visit to UCF in January, Demarcus Gardner dreamed of becoming a Knight.

The cornerback from Cedartown, Ga. always made it clear to the staff where he wanted to be. Today he made it official with the announcement of his commitment.

"I've known I wanted to commit ever since the junior day when I got the offer," Gardner told UCFSports.com. "I've always wanted to go somewhere in Florida. My parents love Florida too. The atmosphere was amazing. The coaches made me feel like family. I'm family to them."

Gardner said he was recruited by the entire defensive staff, including Addison Williams, Trovon Reed and Ted Roof. He also built a great relationship with Deshon Lawrence Jr., UCF's Director of Player Development.

"They're all awesome dudes," Gardner said. "I know they're going to love me, but they're going to get on me. They won't baby me, which is what I want. They'll keep it 100 with me."

He's played both ways in high school, but his college future will be at cornerback. He's combined for eight interceptions over the past two seasons.

"I'm known for my ball skills," Gardner said. "I play wideout for my high school so I'm known to go up and get the ball. It comes natural to me when I'm playing corner."

Gardner said he already feels the close "brotherhood" of the UCF team. He's familiar with a few players already, including Christian Peterson, Jakob Gude and EJ Colson.

Other offers included Kentucky, SMU, South Florida and ECU, but UCF was always at the top of his list.

"It was always in the back of my mind during my (January) visit," Gardner said. "I kept on thinking, 'This is home. This is the place.' When the coaches came to my school during recruiting, I told them that I'd be committing. They were like, 'Are you sure?' I was like, 'Yes, absolutely.

"This is like a dream come true."