UCF commit Ryan O'Keefe has amazing time on visit
Ryan O'Keefe loved every minute of his weekend official visit to UCF.
From the moment he committed back in May, the Round Rock (Tex.) wide receiver was counting the days until he could return to Orlando to see a game for himself.
"I was talking to Coach (Darrell) Wyatt a few weeks ago and he says you may see it on TV, but you wouldn't understand how great the game day atmosphere is until you see it for yourself."
He got to experience everything last Saturday when UCF demolished Pittsburgh, 45-14. Round Rock played a game that Friday night and O'Keefe boarded an early flight the next morning in order to be there.
"(UCF Director of On-Campus Recruiting) Makenzie (Franklin) picked me up at the airport and took me to the team hotel," O'Keefe said. "We got up to the room and changed, then we went downstairs and met up with Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach Wyatt. We had a talk while the team was having their pregame meal. From there, I went to the academic center and talked an academic advisor. We ate at the academic place, then we headed over for Knight Walk. That was really fun, seeing all the fans and how electric everybody was. UCF has the best fans in the nation. I got to walk behind the team during Knight Walk."
The game obviously didn't disappoint.
"Coaches are always talking about how fast UCF is," O'Keefe said. "You see it on TV and then you see it in person. It was so fast. After a play, they line up and run another play. It's so fast. Pitt was faking injuries, it was so funny. It's something I can truly see myself fitting into. I'm all about speed and they have serious speed over there. It was so fun watching the offense."
He took note of the slot receivers, which is where he's being recruited to play. Though Adrian Killins is a running back, O'Keefe did see a little bit of himself in the UCF star. Killins, always a home run threat, broke free for a 71-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
"Me and him, I realize we're not the biggest guys," O'Keefe said. "AK was taking hits the whole game. He has that dog in him. I'm starting to get that dog in me a little bit. AK is a warrior. He was really fun to watch."
O'Keefe thought the atmosphere was amazing. UCF had another sold-out crowd for Pitt.
"The Bounce House, I heard all the stories about it," he said. "It's really something special. It was so crazy. Like I said, UCF has the best fans in the nation. It's so fun to be around. I just can't wait to get over there and be on the team."
He got to see the postgame celebration in the locker room after UCF won their 17th consecutive game.
"I got to talk to McKenzie Milton, which was fun," O'Keefe said. "I got to talk to AK. That was really cool because he balled out in that game. I also met Gabriel Davis."
Fellow Texan and wide receiver Ke'von Ahmad served as O'Keefe's player host during the weekend.
"After the game I got to go to dinner with Ke'von, Coach Wyatt and his wife Cindy," O'Keefe said. "After that, we went back to Ke'von's dorm room. I met Kenyon Johnson, Landon Woodson and Kyle Back."
He was already familiar with the rest of the class via social media, but got to meet Amari Johnson, Allan Adams, Matt Lee and several other commitments in person.
O'Keefe said he was already 100 percent solid in his decision and this visit only made him more excited for the future.
"I just love everybody in the program," he said. "Everybody is so down to earth. I feel like I've been living there my whole life. They made me feel welcome. I love how Coach Heup and Coach Wyatt are never fake with you. They'll tell you straight up. Yeah, they're recruiting me, but told me how I'll have to compete, keep up with my grades or else I'm not going to have success. They have always been straight up with me. They also said, 'If you don't like to run a lot, don't come here.' The receivers run the most. They do a lot of conditioning to be ready for this offense. They don't show fake love like other coaches. It's always real. What you see is what you get from them."
O'Keefe's Round Rock Dragons are currently 3-1 on the season. He began the season playing quarterback, but has focused more on receiver and corner in the past two games. He's accounted for 706 all-purpose yards (553 yards rushing, 153 receiving) with 10 touchdowns.
He will officially sign his letter of intent with UCF on Dec. 19, the first day of the early signing period.
