UCF lands Georgia safety

The first day of preseason camp ended with a big addition to the Class of 2014.

Michael Rogers, a highly-recruited safety from Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga., called the UCF coaches late Wednesday night to pledge his commitment. He had visited a few weeks before.

"When I went there I just loved it," Rogers said. "It felt like home. I love the coaches there. I've got a lot of family in Orlando and it's not too far from my mom so she can come and watch me play. I really liked their focus on academics. That really stood out.

"The facilities are real nice, like the indoor field and the dorm rooms. Everything was real nice. They've got pools and palm trees. It just seems like a good place to go to school and maybe start a career."

He spoke to a trio of coaches on Wednesday - head coach George O'Leary, his recruiter Brent Key and his future position coach Kirk Callahan.

"I really liked Coach O'Leary," Rogers said. "When I went to go meet him in person, he said he was real excited about me. He told me before I made my decision what he wanted me to know about him. He kept it real with me. I like that.

"And with Coach Key, I've been developing a great relationship with him ever since he came by the school during the spring. In a couple more minutes it's going to be his birthday. He told me that me committing was a great present from me to him. They were really pumped up."

UCF told Rogers he was their top recruiting target at safety, which is a big need in this class.

"They told me they loved my speed," Rogers said. "I told them I love to make noise. That's my favorite phrase. I love to hit. I know when I come down there I'll be making plays."

His offer list includes Arkansas, Cincinnati, Clemson, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and Syracuse. Rogers said he was focused on UCF, but he might take visits during the fall to Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri. He's thinking about majoring in sports medicine.

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