Arizona has become UCF's new quarterback hotspot.
Mikey Keene, who attends perennial power Chandler High School, announced his commitment to the Knights on Friday. It's a big addition to Josh Heupel's 2021 class as the senior had been at the top of the QB board since the spring.
"The main reasons I wanted to be a Knight is due to the culture of winning, the ability for my skill set to be displayed in a great way and the atmosphere of the team and coaching staff," Keene said. "UCF has been showing me love the most for about five months now and I feel it's important to go where you're wanted."
Keene informed the staff on Wednesday, prompting a celebration within the walls of UCF's football offices.
"It was a really cool experience seeing the coaches that have been recruiting me for months now so excited to hear that," Keene said. "Coach (Joey) Halzle went into about three rooms of staff and they were all yelling. Coach (Alex) Golesh was yelling. And Coach Heupel was for sure yelling!"
Keene will eventually join fellow quarterback and Arizona native Parker Navarro in Orlando. Navarro, who starred at Phoenix's Desert Ridge High School, was a member of UCF's 2020 class and currently a true freshman. UCF's likely starting kicker, sophomore Daniel Obarski, also is from the area.
Physically, Keene (5-11, 180) has a similar build as UCF's current quarterbacks. He feels he is well suited for Heupel's offensive system.
"The offense and quarterbacks that came before me like McKenzie (Milton) and Dillon (Gabriel) fit my playing style perfectly," Keene said. "And it does help as well having some guys from Arizona there too."
In his first season as starter, Keene led Chandler to a state championship after passing for 2,835 yards and 23 touchdowns. His 73 percent completion percentage (193 of 265) was best in the state. The QB position at Chandler has been a carousel of top talent in recent years as Keene has followed in the footsteps of Bryce Perkins (Virginia, LA Rams), Darrell Garretson (Oregon State), Mason Moran (Oregon State) and Jacob Conover (BYU).
Keene's other finalist was Utah State and he was receiving strong late interest from Iowa State. Other offers included Coastal Carolina, Colorado State, Columbia, Harvard, Hawaii, MIddle Tennessee, Nevada, New Mexico, Penn, San Jose State, Tulane, Western Kentucky and Yale.
The Wolves are regarded not only as an Arizona powerhouse but a national one: Chandler enters the season as MaxPrep's No. 7 team in the country. They will begin the season on Oct. 2 with a road game at Peoria (Ariz.) Liberty.
UCF is now up to 14 commits in the 2021 class.
