Lee lands offers from Knights, Bulls
Suddenly some thinking to do.
The Oviedo Hagerty offensive lineman committed to USF 12 days ago and the Bulls were the first Football Bowl Subdivision team to offer a scholarship to the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder, who will play interior line at the next level. He plays tackle for Hagerty.
After attending UCF’s camp Saturday, the Knights’ coaching staff loved what they saw from the hard-working big man and a phone call from head coach on Sunday night confirmed UCF’s intentions. The Knights want him on board and would love to flip his commitment to the hometown team.
“We were just talking about yesterday and he was telling me how they’re offering me and telling me his philosophy about the program,” Lee said of Heupel. “He was saying that him and Coach and Coach and the rest of the staff ... the ones who were with him at Missouri, how they’ve all known each other and are all really good friends and that they have a really good thing going with UCF — especially coming off the momentum from this past year and how they want me to be a part of it.”
Lee has said he wants to keep his word and remain committed to USF, but the offer from the Knights is intriguing. UCF’s Spectrum Stadium is on the same street as Hagerty High and the school is only about seven minutes from the UCF campus. Lee also said his house is only about 10 to 15 minutes from UCF.
Lee said Heupel didn’t specifically address his USF commitment, but he did make it clear UCF would love to have him.
“He said, ‘What do I have to say to make you want to come here?’ Something like that,” Lee said. “I told him it’s definitely a big offer and it definitely has hometown pull, but I’m staying committed to USF.” For now, anyway. The UCF offer is one he had been waiting for and his father is a UCF alum, so the Lees have been Knights fans for a long time.
“Obviously, growing up, has COMMENTARY I was a fan of UCF, just until a couple of months ago,” said Lee, who had turned his attention to USF as he got more cozy with the Bulls’ coaching staff and UCF continued to be somewhat out of the picture. “But [UCF] is only a couple of minutes from my house and the offer definitely has some meaning to me. It’s big to me.”
He hasn’t closed the door on UCF just yet and said he’ll have plenty of things to think about in the near future.
“There’s obviously a lot of time left, even between now and the rest of the summer,” Lee said.
He’d like to make his decision before the season starts and he’s not sure at this point which way the pendulum will swing. He could even pick up more offers.
For now, Lee is just happy to see UCF showing some attention.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” he said.
The Knights were busy over the weekend, accepting commitments from three different players, including a pair of offensive linemen in
of Jacksonville University Christian, the same school that produced UCF running back
and of Fort Myers. Adams is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound big man who transferred to University from Oakleaf. Fingers is a 6-foot-5, 296-pound tackle at Fort Myers High.
UCF also landed a pledge from
an athlete out of Stockbridge (Ga.) Eagles Landing. Menard is a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder with good speed and shifty hips. He can play both receiver and cornerback and is likely penciled in for the defense at UCF.
Those commitments give UCF seven pledges to the 2019 recruiting class, but none have come on the defensive line — a spot UCF will need to fill after this season. The Knights lost
and after the 2017 campaign. After this season, they will lose
and all athletes who have played key roles in the UCF defense. Defensive line coach
knows he has his work cut out for him and he has been hitting the recruiting trail hard. What the Knights would love to see are a couple of hometown studs like Wekiva’s and Jones’ stay put and become Knights. and Cornerback and defensive end both of Lake Minneola, made their pledges over the weekend. Johnson picked North Carolina in a close battle with UCF, which is where his brother,
is a redshirt freshman receiver. Atkinson picked Western Kentucky over Northern Illinois.