Hey UCF football fans, Scott Frost may be gone, but that doesn’t mean the talent is too. With National Signing Day this past week, many were concerned about the level of the 2018 recruiting class, since new coach Josh Heupel just took over the Knights’ program in December.
If you are one of those people, please take a deep breath.
Despite the significantly shorter time frame, Heupel’s first recruiting class will still rank higher than Frost’s first class back in 2016.
That class included standout players like junior quarterback McKenzie Milton, junior running back Adrian Killins Jr., and junior wide receiver Dredrick Snelson; all of whom played a huge role in the Knights’ perfect 13-0 season.
UCF signed a total of 19 players between Early National Signing Day and National Signing Day this year.
Not only are these new Knights talented, but they also trust Heupel and his staff. A number of these recruits were caught in the middle of the Frost and Heupel crossfire, but despite the madness, still wanted to be a part of UCF’s program.
When the whole country was talking, they were the very few that listened.
The Knights are expected to keep their winning tradition alive come September and the players they picked up will certainly help them do just that. All six of the players that signed letters of intent on National Signing Day this past week have led their high school teams to the playoffs, and two of them even left their respective schools as state champions.
With seven new Knights already enrolled this Spring, almost half of the signees will have been with the team for a whole semester come camp next August.
By the end of National Signing Day, UCF finished 69th overall in the national rankings and 3rd in the American Athletic Conference rankings behind only Cincinnati and USF, all with a brand-new coach that had barely two months to recruit.
Still worried?