UCF has always been there for Jarquez Carter.

The Knights were the first to offer the Newberry (Fla.) defensive tackle in January 2023, not long after his sophomore season. He's since blown up as a national recruit with a four-star ranking from Rivals.

Between recruiting events, practices and games, Carter estimates he's visited UCF around a dozen times. But his most recent visit was special as it was his long-awaited official visit.

"It went great," Carter said. "I was able to connect with the players, like Ricky Barber and Keshaun Hudson. I felt like I'm a player here. I felt like me and Coach (Kenny) Martin have known each other for four years. He was the first coach to really start recruiting me. We have a special bond. Coach (Gus) Malzahn, you can tell he's willing to give his all. Like John Walker, since he got here, he's put in his all to help him as a person and help build his network. You don't see many head coaches do that at the college level."