Josh Heupel and the UCF Football staff reeled in an elite speedster from Texas for their second commitment in the Class of 2019.
Ryan O'Keefe, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound wide receiver from Round Rock High School near Austin, made his pledge on Monday just a couple days after taking an unofficial visit to Orlando.
"UCF hit me up a few weeks ago and said they were really interested," O'Keefe said. "Coach (Darrell) Wyatt came to my school and talked to my coach about me. He wanted to get me down there for a visit. It seemed like they were ready to offer, but Coach Wyatt said Coach Heupel wanted to meet me and I guess wanted to offer in person."
O'Keefe and his mother flew to Orlando on Friday and spent the entire weekend in the area.
"I talked to the coaches (on Friday night) and then spent most of Saturday with them, eating breakfast and lunch and touring the school," O'Keefe said. "My mom and I were actually talking about committing before we went. Orlando as a city is a lot like Austin, just in a different state. The people at UCF were so nice. We just got a genuinely good feeling from everybody."
What stood out the most?
"I really liked their dedication to academics," O'Keefe said. "They have really good support with tutors. I loved the facilities. I loved the people. They all seemed genuine. Not just the coaches either, everybody there was so welcoming."
The staff sees O'Keefe as the perfect for Heupel's offensive system.
"My mom and I sat in the film room with Coach Wyatt and we watched film of a lot of the stuff they do," O'Keefe said. "They want me to be a slot receiver guy, a return guy and maybe do some plays in the backfield. I really felt like their offense fits me best. It's just like my school, but they maybe throw it a little bit more. It really fits me."
O'Keefe departed giving a strong indication he would become a Knight, but wanted to return home before making things official.
"I just wanted to talk to my dad to see how we all felt about it," O'Keefe said. "So today I went to my head coach's office after practice and I told him I was going to commit. He was really happy for me. My parents and I called Coach Heupel and told him that I was committing. They're all super excited. I'm like underrated I guess you could say. I'm not super big and I'm not a five-star, but Coach Heup said he believes in me. He saw my ability firsthand and believes I can be a dynamic football player."
O'Keefe is also a track star having posted a personal best 10.45 in the 100 meters. On the football field, he plays wherever the team needs him.
"I started my sophomore year playing receiver, like the first three games," O'Keefe said. "They moved me over to DB and I finished the year there. At the beginning of my junior year I was playing DB as well, then we had a quarterback quit and another one broke his back, so in the third game of the season I took over at quarterback."
In six games at quarterback, O'Keefe rushed for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns on 137 carries, an average of 7.8 yards per rush. On the passing end, he completed 54 of 91 passes for 800 yards and four touchdowns. He had 22 tackles, four forced fumbles and one interception in four games playing cornerback.
O'Keefe, who will graduate next May, plans to major in a health sciences field, perhaps kinesiology. He is looking to returning for an official visit, maybe later this fall to see a home game.
Other offers included Tulsa, Air Force, Army, Bowling Green, UMass, North Texas, Boston College, SMU, UTEP, Princeton, Tulane and Louisiana Lafayette.
O'Keefe joins quarterback Charlie Dean as 2019 commits in UCF's class.
