One of college football's more intriguing prospects will finish his career at UCF.
Shaun Peterson Jr., a transfer from FIU, announced his commitment to the Knights on Monday following his official visit. The Fort Lauderdale native is being recruited to play a defensive end/edge rusher role for the Knights as they enter the Big 12.
UCFSports.com connected with his father, Shaun Peterson Sr., to learn more about his son's decision.
"During this visit to UCF, my son felt like, 'This is home right here,'" Peterson Sr. said. "I asked him, 'Are you sure?' He said, 'Dad, this is home. It's not too far from home. I really like the vibe and I'm feeling the coaches.'"
For Peterson, playing defense has been a recent development at least in terms of his collegiate career. While he grew up playing both ways, Peterson signed with FIU in the Class of 2018 specifically for the opportunity to play running back. He had committed to South Florida earlier in his high school recruitment and later reconsidered when the Bulls said they preferred him as a linebacker.
At FIU, Peterson spent a total of four years at the running back position.
He saw limited action at running back his first two seasons, totaling 73 yards on 19 carries. His first year of 2018 also doubled as his redshirt season.
In 2020, Peterson was poised to play a bigger role. He rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns in FIU's first three games, including a 117-yard performance against Middle Tennessee. His season though ended abruptly due to injury.
In 2021, Peterson carried the ball 58 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
FIU had a coaching change prior to the 2022 season. The new coach was Mike MacIntyre and he brought in Jovan Dewitt as his defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Dewitt coached at UCF several years ago during the Scott Frost era and had recruited Peterson in high school.
"FIU was looking for a linebacker," Peterson Sr. explained. "The head coach said they'll go in the portal and find one. Coach Dewitt said, 'We don't need to. We've got one here, Shaun Peterson. I scouted him in high school. I know he can play.'"
During spring practice, FIU asked Peterson if he'd make the move on an experimental basis to see if it might be a fit for their 3-4 scheme.
"They said they'd try it out for two weeks," Peterson Sr. said. "They let him freelance. He hadn't played defense since his senior year of high school. After they put him on defense, FIU's offense couldn't get the ball up the field passing wise. He was always sacking the quarterback or disrupting the play."
His impact would be felt in FIU's very first game.
Trailing 16-6 to FCS Bryant which was threatening to score late in the third quarter, Peterson blitzed and sacked the quarterback, stripping the ball away for a FIU turnover. It was a big turning point in the game considering FIU went on to win 38-37 in overtime. In that game, PFF assigned Peterson an elite 92.6 grade.
Peterson, who is 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, finished the season as FIU's sack leader with six sacks, recorded 28 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He had a PFF season grade of 77.1 grade on defense and his pass-rushing grade of 92.1 ranked in the top 10 nationally.
As a graduate transfer, Peterson isn't bound by the portal windows. He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on May 31 and immediately saw considerable interest. He visited FAU the first weekend of June and was at UCF over the weekend.
On the visit, Peterson Sr. said they spent a lot of time with defensive coordinator Addison Williams and defensive ends coach Kenny Ingram.
"The meetings went great," Peterson Sr. said. "They see him as an edge type in a 4-3, or the buck. They said all he has to do is come in and work. They didn't say he was going to be a starter or how many plays he'd get. That's on him. He's going to work his butt off. My son has never ran away from competition. He's up for it."
Gus Malzahn also made a big impression.
"I love Gus Malzahn," Peterson Sr. said. "He's a pretty straightforward guy. Honest. He's funny, quite the character. I love his vibe. He has an open-door policy. He welcomes you with open arms."
Peterson said his son was planning to take a couple more official visits to Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, but he had seen enough.
"He loved UCF, how they're going into the Big 12," Peterson Sr. said. "We always wanted him to play for a Power Five school... Both of us liked it. He said, 'Dad this is where I want to be.'"
Peterson has at least one year of eligibility remaining, though it's possible he could receive a medical redshirt due to the season-ending injury he suffered during the 2020 season. If that happens and he elects to return, he could potentially play a rare seventh year in 2024.
Peterson Sr. said his son was in the process of moving to Orlando, perhaps as early as this upcoming weekend. He'll be enrolling for the Summer B session and wants to start workouts as soon as possible.
UCF has gained commitments from six transfers in this spring cycle, including cornerback Decorian Patterson (Middle Tennessee), linebacker Rian Davis (Georgia), quarterback Xavier Williams (Charlotte), linebacker Isaiah Paul (Washington State), quarterback Gunnar Smith (South Florida, walk-on) and now Peterson.
UCF secured 10 transfer commitments during December/January, including defensive back Fred Davis (Clemson), offensive lineman Amari Kight (Alabama), long snapper Gage King (Arizona State), wide receiver Chauncey Magwood (Kentucky), offensive lineman Marcellus Marshall (Kent State), defensive back DeJordan Mask (Texas State), offensive lineman Bula Schmidt (Fresno State), wide receiver Trent Whittemore (Florida), defensive back Jireh Wilson (East Carolina) and offensive lineman Drake Metcalf (Stanford).
