Lakeland OL Miguel Maldonado commits to UCF
In the two short weeks the full staff has been on the job, new UCF head coach Gus Malzahn and his assistants have been busy on the virtual recruiting trail, issuing offers to top players all over the country.
On Sunday night, they secured their first high school commitment.
Miguel Maldonado, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle from Lakeland (Fla.) High School, announced his pledge to the Knights just three days after receiving an offer from offensive line coach Herb Hand.
"Coach Hand told me that when he watched my film he saw a lot of potential in me because of the fact I've only played one year of high school football," Maldonado said last week.
Despite the limited playing experience, Maldonado was already becoming a hot name being noticed by programs across the country. His first offer came in last September from Virginia Tech with Iowa State, FIU and South Florida following suit shortly thereafter. In recent months, UConn, West Virginia, Appalachian State and ECU also joined the fray.
His offensive line coach at Lakeland, Caleb Pickrell, just joined the UCF coaching staff as assistant offensive line coach.
"This is my first year of playing football," Maldonado told Rivals.com last fall. "I mainly played basketball and am still on the team. That was the sport I fell in love with. Coach Pick eventually got me to go out for football and I ended up loving it, too. What's really clicked for me is how much it's a family and I've got guys that have my back.
"On the field, I'm learning exactly where they're going to move. I get out on the linebackers quite a bit, and knowing where the ball is going, I'm learning where they're going to close. I'm knowing what my whole team is doing and executing my assignments."
Maldonado is rated a high three-star (5.7) by Rivals.com and the No. 50 offensive tackle in the country.
