Washington commits to UCF

Marvin Washington is a Knight.

The Dr. Phillips quarterback committed on Monday afternoon, just two days after a standout performance at UCF's 7-on-7 tournament earned him his long-awaited scholarship offer.

Always high on UCF, Washington didn't need much time to ponder.

"I always liked UCF," Washington said on Saturday. "I like how UCF is close to home and the offense they run is my offense. It's a new coaching staff. It's like a new beginning I want to be a part of."

By Sunday afternoon after a conversation with his parents, the decision was made. Since UCF was the offer he had been waiting for, there was no need to wait. UCF is taking two quarterbacks in the class and he didn't want to risk losing a spot.

Sean Beckton and Mario Verduzco led in his recruitment. It was Verduzco, UCF's quarterbacks coach, who relayed news of the offer on Saturday.

"He said I've got a very strong arm," Washington said of the conversation. "The way I ran the offense, the up-tempo offense, that's what they want to do. I already do it in high school. That's what they like. He also said they liked my body language and how I carried myself."

On Monday, it was Verduzco that he called first to let him know that he wanted to be a Knight.

"He was like, 'How are you doing?,' and we talked for a little bit," Washington said. "I said, 'Do you know why I'm calling?' He didn't know. So I told him I'd like to be a Knight and commit to play for you guys. He was excited. Coach Verduzco was excited to have me be his player and I told him I was excited for him to be my coach. Then I talked to the whole staff, right down the line. I haven't spoken to Coach (Scott) Frost yet. I'm supposed to speak to him tonight. But I spoke to Coach Beckton, the offensive line coach, defensive line coach and running backs coach."

From the moment he made the commitment tweet, Washington said his phone was "blowing up" from the outpouring of support.

One person he had already talked to about his decision was Jaquarius Bargnare, his Dr. Phillips teammate and future UCF wide receiver. Bargnare signed in February and will report in a couple weeks.

"I'm so excited we're going to be reunited again," Washington said. "We have a great relationship on and off the field. He was my go-to receiver. He's one reason that I have the offer today, all the plays he made when he got the ball in his hands."

Needless to say, it's been memorable couple days. Washington said his mother cried tears of joy when she learned her son would be playing for the hometown team.

"I just want to do the best I can do," Washington said. "I want to compete immediately when I get to campus. I want to finish college and get my degree. I plan to major in sports medicine. I can't wait."

Washington joins running back Otis Anderson and defensive back Tariq Carpenter as UCF pledges in the Class of 2017.