OL Ethan Hubbard earns 'dream offer' from UCF
Ethan Hubbard currently calls Alabama home, but he's a 'Hometown Hero' at heart. The Hoover High School offensive tackle grew up in the Orlando area, just a stone's throw from the UCF campus. So when the Knights offered him earlier this week, it was a very special day.
Hubbard had just camped at UCF last weekend.
"Coach (Herb) Hand told me after the camp that I did really well," Hubbard said. "They were trying to see my athleticism. I think I'm one of the best athletic tackles in my class. I'm just very underrated. That's why they're recruiting me, my athleticism and how I can move."
Then the good news was relayed Wednesday while Hubbard was on an official visit to South Alabama.
"Coach Hand texted me at 10 in the morning," Hubbard said. "I was on my visit (to South Alabama) so I couldn't talk right away. Then my o-line coach was calling and saying UCF really wants to talk to you. So I scheduled a time to talk which was 4 o'clock when I'd have some downtime. I called Coach Hand and he was like, 'I'm handing it over to Coach (Gus) Malzahn.'
"Coach Malzahn said I had a really good camp. 'We want to offer you a scholarship to the University of Central Florida. We're real excited about you.' Tears started coming down my face because I'm a real emotional guy. I really wanted this offer from day one. I'm actually from Oviedo and grew up watching UCF Football. It's basically a dream offer for me."
Hubbard is a Florida boy, born in Jacksonville. He then spent a short time in Coral Springs before his family moved to Oviedo in 2015. He's been in Hoover for the past three years.
"We used to go to a lot of games which was real exciting," Hubbard said. "That's when UCF was on the rise. I loved watching their games. I still do to this day. I'm still a fan."
His favorite UCF memory?
"When UCF had the first College Gameday," Hubbard said. "I loved that game so much. I went with friends. It's one of my best memories of UCF Football."
That was Nov. 17, 2018 when UCF steamrolled Cincinnati 38-13 to extend their winning streak to 23 games.
"I just remember the Bounce House shaking," Hubbard said. "It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I love the stadium too. I just love the energy of it."
Hubbard, who is 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, thinks he'd be a great fit playing within Malzahn's offense and Hand's offensive line.
"Coach Hand is one of the best o-line coaches I've ever met," Hubbard said. "What he was telling me really fits my scheme. We run a bunch of outside zone which I'm really good at because of my athleticism. The pass-oriented stuff. He said I can coach you all the way through. I really connected with him too."
It's been a busy month for Hubbard, who has also attended camps at Mercer, South Alabama, Florida State and Duke. He also did a brief workout for the coaches at South Florida. Those were productive as Duke and USF also offered this week. Prior offers include Liberty, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, UT Martin, Louisiana, Central Michigan, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, ETSU, Samford, Western Kentucky, Charlotte and James Madison.
He wrapped up his official visit to South Alabama on Thursday morning.
"They're going to be really, really good soon," Hubbard said of the Jaguars. I love their coaching staff. I love the city. It reminds me a bunch of Florida. They're going to be really good with that coaching staff. The o-line staff is amazing. That's why I'm really interested in them."
Hubbard also has an official visit to Duke this upcoming weekend.
"I really like their coaches too," Hubbard said of the Blue Devils. "All their coaches are great. I love their academics. My dad was saying it's like a free degree to get six figures. That's why Duke is very high up on the board too."
Hubbard is hoping to return to UCF for a visit at the end of July. He's looking to make a decision prior to the season. If that's not possible, maybe early in his senior year.
"The biggest things for me are coaching staff, strength coach and academics," Hubbard said.
