Stars will be on display for UCF's Friday Knight Lights
UCF's recruiting efforts for 2024 and beyond blast off this weekend with "Friday Knight Lights," an invitation-only event that will bring in more than 100 top prospects to campus.
More players are expected throughout the weekend, though much of the fanfare will revolve around the Friday event.
While 2024 targets consist of the bulk of visitors, several 2023 names will be in attendance. That includes the Lake Brantley twins - Andrew Harris and Michael Harris. After standout performances in the Under Armour All-American Game and Polynesian Bowl, the four-star linebacker duo are rising in the recruiting rankings. They will officially make their decisions next week, deciding between UCF, Maryland and Arkansas.
DT Andrew Rumph, who signed with UCF last month but will enroll this summer, will also be in Orlando. So will Dr. Phillips DB Jimez Hamilton, who recently committed as a preferred walk-on.
Among the 2024 quarterback visitors, Bartram Trail's Riley Trujillo, who led his team to a 12-1 record, holds more than two dozen offers including UCF.
West Orange's Trever Jackson is among the best quarterbacks in the Orlando area. No UCF offer yet, but he does have a growing offer list from Coastal Carolina, FAU, Pitt, Charlotte, Akron, Indiana, Appalachian State, Liberty, FAU and UMass.
Four-star running back Davion Gause is an elite-level talent, ranked No. 62 nationally by Rivals. The Chaminade Madonna star has offers from virtually everyone, UCF obviously included.
A running back that could be on the radar for a UCF offer is Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee's Cole Tabb. He has a good set of early offers, including South Florida, Utah, Kansas State, NC State, Kansas, Tulane and West Virginia.
Among wide receivers on the RSVP list, several have UCF offers: Andrew Brinson (Tampa Gaither), Jameer Grimsley (Tampa Catholic), John Lee Honorat (Golden Gate), Zy'Marion Lang (Palmetto) and Kason Stokes (Armwood).
Miami Columbus TE Benjamin Blackburn was offered by UCF earlier this week.
Four-star OL Eddy Pierre-Louis (Tampa Catholic) is the nation's No. 2 offensive guard and rated No. 25 nationally. He has been a frequent visitor over the past year, including making a stop last summer for Bounce House Weekend.
Four-star center Waltclaire Flynn (Loganville Grayson) is set to visit this weekend. He raved about his visit to UCF last June.
Other offensive linemen with UCF offers include Tye Hylton (Oviedo), Joseph Ionata (Clearwater Calvary Christian), Daniel Jones (Valdosta Lowndes), William Sanders (Brookwood, Ala.) and Jimmy Williams (American Heritage).
UCF's first 2024 commit, defensive lineman Sincere Edwards, will be there. Xavier Porter, a four-star defensive end from Tampa Catholic and longtime top target, will make a return to UCF as well.
Other defensive linemen with UCF offers expected include Kendall Jackson (Buchholz), Josh Alexander-Felton (Edgewater), Artavius Jones (Blountstown), Tycoolhill Luman and Tyclean Luman (Miami Norland).
On the linebacker front, four-star Rodney Hill (Flagler Palm Coast) will be back at UCF. He visited last season for the Georgia Tech game and already has a strong relationship with linebackers coach Ernie Sims. So will Samarian Robinson (Tallahassee Lincoln). He visited earlier this month and was personally offered by Sims while on that trip.
Also expected are Devin Smith (Brunswick, Ga.) and Jeremiah Marcelin (Miami Norland), top linebackers with a long list of early offers.
As for the secondary, two heavy hitter safeties will be on hand: Brandon Jacob (Evans) and Jarvis Boatwright (Clearwater), both of whom have four-star ratings.
Several other DBs with UCF offers will be in O-Town, including Micahi Danzy (Tallahassee FHS), Jashad Presley (Dr. Phillips), Jalon Thompson (Olympia) and Isaiah Thomas (Clearwater Academy).
Elite quarterback talent in the Class of 2025 are set to make an appearance, including Tramell Jones (Jacksonville Mandarin), Carter Smith (Bishop Verot) and Ennio Yapoor (Miami Norland). The trio already have an impressive early offer list and should rank among the top players in their class.
WR Jaime Ffrench (Jacksonville Mandarin) is already a four-star prospect in the 2025 class.
DL Myron Charles (Port Charlotte) just got a UCF offer. DL Roy'Marr Thomas (Armwood) was offered by UCF last year.
LB/Safety Ethan Pritchard (Seminole) is one of the best players in Central Florida.
After this weekend, the NCAA Dead Period will persist throughout the month of February. Unofficial visits can resume in March.
Visit this Dungeon message board post for a more complete list of expected visitors.