ORLANDO – March and April will be busy months for the Knights. The rookies schedule tours and then change when they venture to Orlando to visit Gus Malzahn and his program.
Expect many names to be added in the coming days, and even then there will inevitably be more that will appear at UCF that were not necessarily expected by the media or the general public. . There is also a very important rating that fits this particular recruiting class more than any other over the past 20 years.
Keep in mind that the 2023 cycle is truly unusual due to the coaching carousel that has unfolded around college football in December through the present day.
Across the country, college applicants have already made many connections with college coaches and then watched those same coaches transition from one program to the NFL or move on to another college football program.
With the loss of familiarity with so many different coaches – think Florida and Miami teams – many recruits will seek new opportunities, and potentially return to these other programs. Take National rookie cornerback/wide receiver Cormani McClain of Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson based on this tweet as an example:
With this quote from one of the best rookies in the country right in the heart of Florida, understand that the UCF can quickly get into the mix for a prospect like McClain, or just about any other, pretty quickly. It’s also why the following list is expected to grow quickly, as it will for future visiting weekends until April 14, when the NCAA cuts the unofficial visiting schedule.
Note: This article will be updated as March progresses and there will also be updates for future unofficial visit weekends.
March 14 – Outlook 2023
UCF welcomes Jacksonville-area prospect Landon Hale next week. Playing for Yulee (Fla.) High School, Hale moved into high school to help his team in multiple ways with man and zone coverage. He is also a player who has played a major role in special teams play.
The 6’2″, 185-pound Hale could project to safety or maybe even the “Knight” position, which is the hybrid safety linebacker. Finding athletic and versatile defenders to play in space is a priority. in every recruiting class, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Knights offer this man a scholarship. Here’s what he had to say about UCF:
“I have a few connections at UCF. Coach Chip Lindsey, who proposed me to Troy, is there and I’ve been texting him and I’ve also been texting Coach Addision Williams He was just at a training clinic with my coaches in Yulee so they talked about me and my brother and we went from there.
“We locked ourselves in on the 14th because I will be on my way back from FIU. Then we will drop by and make an unofficial visit to UF on the 15th (March).”
This spring will be vital for Hale’s recruiting, as will this month of June, when the college camps really heat up. Keep an eye on Hale because he’s the type of player the UCF Knights built their program on: great athletes with room to grow and potential flexibility in multiple positions.
March 19 – Outlook 2023
Javin Simpkins, RB, Miami (Florida) Norland
Malachi Singleton, QB, Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb
Zachary Tobe, BC, Ocoee (Florida) High School
Tyler Williams, WR, Lakeland, Florida High School
March 19 – Outlook 2024
Jalyn Crawford, BC, Lilburn, Ga. Parkview
March 29 – Outlook 2023
Isaiah Nixon, Defensive End, St. Petersburg (Florida) Lakewood
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