UCF lands commitment from nation's No. 1 kicker

UCF just landed the No. 1 player in the country at his position.

Grant Reddick, a kicker at Orlando's Boone High School, announced his commitment Wednesday morning following his attendance at Knight Splash 2.0.

The major recruiting sites including Rivals don't rank specialists, but Kohls - considered the preeminent organization covering scouting kickers, punters and long snappers - ranks Reddick a five-star prospect and No. 1 in the entire country.

From his Kohls profile, based on his most recent May 2022 evaluation:

"He again hit the cleanest field goals in drill work and won the field goal competition at the camp with close to 300 campers. Reddick is a special player on field goals. He can hit consistently from 60 yards on in and with a tailwind hit from 65 yards away. Reddick's kickoffs are top 15 in the 2023 class. He should be highly sought after in the 2023 class. This past winter Reddick scored 19 points on field goals and had a kickoff score of 118. Reddick is currently the best ball-striker in his class."

Reddick has long been a high-priority of the UCF staff, who offered a full scholarship in June. That's remarkable for a specialist as most players at that position receive preferred walk-on walk-ons and will only be put on scholarship once they earn a starting position.

Given the importance of the kicking position - a quality kicker can help win a close game - it makes sense to prioritize the recruitment of the position.

UCF's 2023 commitment list now stands at seven and could grow as the week goes. The Knights are awaiting decisions from a pair of four-star prospects: Defensive tackle John Walker and cornerback Braeden Marshall.

Walker has a top five of UCF, Ohio State, Florida, Miami and Michigan. He plans to announce Thursday at 6 p.m. Marshall is "focused" on the trio of Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin though UCF is still believed to be in the picture. He plans to commit Saturday night.