Kaven Call leads the wave for UCF's 2023 recruiting class
The boom was heard loud and clear across Central Florida this past Christmas Day when Kaven Call, a four-star defensive end from Apopka, became the first player to join UCF's 2023 recruiting class.
UCFSports.com recently caught up with the local star to reflect on his decision.
"I had a great visit to UCF last summer and then I was able to go to two football games," Call said. "They always showed unconditional love. I got to see how they operate at the games, got to talk to the coaches a little bit more and spent some time with them after the games too. I just fell in love with UCF from the jump. It's only a 35-minute drive to the campus. It had everything I wanted from the start.
"I was actually thinking about committing in the days before Christmas, but what put the cherry on top was UCF's bowl win against Florida (on Dec. 23). Once I saw that, it was clear Coach Gus Malzahn has something going on. UCF has real big potential. I knew then I didn't want to waste any time. A lot of things checked the boxes for me. In 2023, when I graduate, they're going to the Big 12. It's going to be a bigger stage. A lot of things felt right."
Ready to lock it in, Call gave word to the coaches the day after the bowl game.
"I called Coach Gus on Christmas Eve," Call said. "Everyone was shocked. I talked to all the coaches that night. We talked about getting ready for the next day, how everybody is going to retweet (the announcement) and how it's gonna blow up social media. And it did blow up. I didn't know it was going to be that big. It was great. I loved it."
Call then realized the importance of what it meant to be an early commitment.
"Coach Gus told me, 'You don't realize how much this is going to help recruiting for us. You're the first 2023 to set it. You don't realize how many local dudes this is going to help bring in.' I agree. We obviously have a lot of top talent here in Central Florida. He said, 'This is going to be big for us in recruiting and you're going to set the wave for these 2023s.'"
Call, who also had Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Penn State and Rutgers among his finalists, says he plans to double as a recruiter when he attends UCF's upcoming Hometown Hero event on Jan. 29. The Knights are aiming to follow with another stellar local class after signing Nikai Martinez, Demari Henderson, Ja'Cari Henderson and Kameron Moore in the 2022 class.
Martinez was Call's teammate at Apopka.
"Nikai was real excited," Call said. "He was always working on me. He was always in my ear about UCF. He was saying, 'We're gonna be different. We're gonna start a new wave like I did for the 22s.' Nikai called me on Christmas right after I made the announcement. He was so hyped and excited, saying let's do this."
The defensive line coach duo of Kenny Martin and Kenny Ingram served as Call's lead recruiters. Martin was the first to initiate contact, while Ingram will be his future position coach.
"I think I'm going to play a position like Big Kat Bryant did this past year, like a stand-up edge rusher," Call said.
The Calls are definitely a UCF family now.
"My parents are real excited," he said. "UCF is right down the street. They can come to every game. My sister already goes to UCF, so that's a big plus. My mom is real excited about that. I can be there for my sister and she can be there for me. It's going to work out perfectly."
Call, who said his Khalil Mack was his favorite NFL player growing up, plans to be an early enrollee too.
"I do plan on graduating early," he said. "I'm going to get in a lot of classes this summer so I'll be able to do that."
