UCF Knight moves
Malzahn and Co. land one of the best recruiting classes in program history
Coach Gus Malzahn called this 2022 recruiting class the foundation for what he hopes to build at UCF after the Knights signed 14 players during the opening day of the December signing period Wednesday. The class heavily featured prospects from the state of Florida, something Malzahn stressed when he took over the program in February.
“They’re big-time players and most of them have a chance to play in the NFL,” said Malzahn. “It’s one of the best classes in school history and could end up being the best.”
Malzahn said the class could grow possibly by as many as 10 with time remaining before the final signing day in February.
According to 247Sports, UCF’s 2022 recruiting class is the nation’s No. 41 class and 2nd in the American Athletic Conference, behind only Cincinnati.
Fab 5
If you handed Malzahn a list of 5 names he absolutely needed to land in recruiting from the moment he stepped on UCF’s campus in February, this would be it. Here are the Fab 5 of UCF’s loaded 2022 recruiting class:
CB Nikai Martinez, Apopka: Committed to UCF since July, Martinez is one of the nation’s top cornerback prospects. The 4-star recruit suffered a torn meniscus early in his senior season but was able to return to help lead the Blue Darters to the FHSAA Class 8A state championship game, where they’ll face Venice Saturday. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound two-way player has totaled 13 tackles, 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns, 1 pass breakup and 2 sacks in just 6 games. He’s also returned 4 kickoffs for a total of 240 yards, averaging 60 yards. WR Quan Lee, Buchholz (Gainesville): Previously committed to the Miami Hurricanes, Lee flipped to the Knights over the summer. There’s a good chance he’ll start right away at UCF because of his speed and raw athletics. The 6-foot 175-pound receiver caught 48 passes for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns this year while rushing for another 226 yards and 3 touchdowns. A 4-star recruit according to 247Sports, Lee also returned 4 punts for touchdowns this season. CB Ja’Cari Henderson, Sanford Seminole: Despite a strong push from Miami, UCF was able to keep both Ja’Cari and his twin brother Demari in the Knights’ signing class. Ja’Cari Henderson recorded 56 tackles to go with 2 interceptions, including one pick-6, over the past two seasons and helped Seminole win a state title in 2020. He’s rated as the No. 46 cornerback in the country, according to 247Sports, and for good reason. He and Demari both were named to 247Sports’ inaugural “freak list” for the 2022 class in August.
S Demari Henderson, Sanford Seminole: Speaking of Demari, he’s just as athletic as his twin brother. The 6-foot 161-pound prospect starts at safety for Seminole and recorded 3 interceptions and 37 tackles last season. This year he totaled 24 tackles, added 3 more INTs, including a pick-6, and recovered a fumble that he returned for a score as well. The twins are expected to be the cornerstones of UCF’s defense, alongside Martinez in the secondary.
QB Thomas Castellanos, Ware County (Ga.): If you remember the 247Sports “freak list,” the Henderson twins aren’t the only UCF commits who made the cut. So did Thomas Castellanos. He threw for 2,600 yards while completing 64% of his passes to go with 25 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 968 yards and 13 touchdowns. FSU and other Power Five programs wanted Castellanos as a running back, but he chose the Knights because he wanted to play quarterback in college. Thanks to his strong relationship with Malzahn and quarterbacks coach G.J. Kinne, there’s no doubt he is the future of the UCF quarterback room and that’s why he’s headed to Orlando.
The rest
DE Keahnist Thompson, Lakeland
ATH Tyler Griffin, New Southeast Bulloch (Ga.)
RB Jordan McDonald, Milton (Ga.) DL Jamaal Johnson, Chaminade-Madonna
Got away/holdout/ still undecided
Leyton Nelson. Holdout: The 6-foot-4 275-pound offensive tackle from Boone was set to sign with UCF after committing to the Knights in August. But with the firing of Dan Mullen at Florida and the hiring of Louisiana’s Billy Napier, the Gators are back in the hunt. Nelson told the Sentinel on Monday he is pushing back his signing day until February.
Khurtiss Perry. Got away: You can’t say Malzahn and Co. didn’t throw everything at the 4-star prospect. The day after Alabama coach Nick Saban went in-home with Perry, Malzahn and 5 other coaches traveled to Perry’s house to convince him to come to Orlando, but UCF came up short on signing day. The 6-foot-2 265-pound prospect is the No. 11 defensive lineman in the class and unsurprisingly chose the Crimson Tide over UCF, Clemson and Auburn.
Quote of note
“We’re just trying to keep the great players at home. We got those four that decided to come on board and they’re laying the foundation where it will be popular to stay home and everybody’s going to see they’re going to be unbelievably successful.”
— UCF coach Gus Malzahn on focusing on the Orlando area.