Bortles becomes highest draft pick in UCF history

Blake Bortles was stunned when his phone rang right after the No. 1 pick was announced during the 2014 NFL draft.

The Oviedo High quarterback shattered records, but college recruiters weren’t sold on him. SEC schools offered him scholarships to play tight end, but he spurned them to pursue his quarterback dreams at nearby UCF.

He blossomed under the direction of offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe and eventually led the Knights to a Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor.

Offseason training and a barrage of pre-draft interviews led up to the phone call from the Jacksonville Jaguars on this date in 2014. The Jags informed Bortles they were taking him with the No. 3 pick.

“Can’t describe it,” Bortles told the Orlando Sentinel the night he was drafted. “By far the greatest feeling in my life.”

Bortles was the first quarterback selected and became the highest overall selection in UCF history, surpassing former Knights quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who was taken 11th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999.

Bortles also tied Wes Chandler (New Smyrna Beach, New Orleans Saints, 1978) as the highest draft pick to come out of the Orlando area.

“I had no expectations coming into this thing,” Bortles said. “I was pumped to be here, to be part of this atmosphere in New York City, and when I heard my name called I was ecstatic.”

It turned out to be a pretty special draft for Orlando-area athletes.

Eatonville native and Dr. Phillips High alum Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2014 draft.

“Every time I talk about it, I am amazed that I’ve made it this far from the Friday night lights,” Clinton-Dix told the Sentinel soon after he was drafted. “It’s so unreal.

“It’s a blessing and you have to take advantage of every opportunity you have, thank God and continue to live in the moment.”