Stanford offensive lineman Drake Metcalf came away incredibly impressed following his weekend official visit to UCF.

A four-star center in the Class of 2020, Metcalf is on track to be a spring graduate from Stanford with three years of eligibility remaining. This was his third visit so far following trips to SMU and Northwestern.

The Orange, Calif., native graduated from storied St. John Bosco High School which was crowned National Champions during his senior season in 2019. Metcalf was a four-star center in the 2020 class, choosing Stanford over dozens of other schools that included USC, Oregon, TCU and Northwestern.

After redshirting in 2020, Metcalf appeared in all 12 games as a reserve in 2021. He saw action in a handful of games in 2022 as the backup center and had one start at right guard against Notre Dame. He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal following the departure of Stanford head coach David Shaw.

UCFSports.com caught up with him Sunday night upon his return home.

"I'd say the (recruiting) process now is quite different (from high school)," Metcalf said. "There are some similarities, but a lot more differences. I'm finishing up my undergraduate studies and I've done that whole process. On my visits I'd say it's more business unlike when you're in high school and you get impressed by trying on uniforms... This upcoming decision will affect me the most in my future to come. I want to make sure I get into a good graduate studies program, either a business school or law school."

Metcalf has treasured his time in Palo Alto. He he was worked as a research assistant for Dr. Condoleeza Rice, the former Secretary of State who is currently the director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford.

That opened the door for Metcalf to meet dignitaries such as General James Mattis, former Secretary of Defense, General H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor, Paul Nakaone, current director of the NSA, John McLaughlin, former director of the CIA, and Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia.

"I've done a lot of cool things," Metcalf said. "I want to get into law and politics after I'm done playing football. My ultimate goal is to play in the NFL and have a fruitful career. One of the main reasons I came to Stanford is to be able to make the connections that can pay off in the future. There was no better spot than Stanford."

As for UCF, Metcalf said a big reason for his high level of interest is offensive line coach Herb Hand. UCF is recruiting him as a center, though he can play guard if needed.

"Coach Hand is awesome," Metcalf said. "You can really tell he has a great relationship with his offensive line. He really cares about them. He's got a strong level of experience and commands respects from the offensive line community. I've been following o-line trainers and other accounts on Twitter for years and I'd always be seeing his name pop up in the past. I followed him back in high school when he was recruiting me. I was fired up to be recruited by him this time around. He brings high energy into the room. He's not quiet and laid back. He gets in your face and fires you up.. He has a swagger to him with his personality."