UCF football’s 2017 recruiting class is off to a great start

The Coach Scott Frost effect is real. Very real.

When UCF was looking for a new head football coach to take charge of the football program, the school wanted someone who could quickly rebuild the team.

“The potential at this place is unlimited,” said new UCF Football Coach Scott Frost in an interview with ESPN’s Championship Drive podcast last week. “I think our system is really going to be a great fit for a lot of the athletes in Florida and I think those kids are going to be more familiar with the type of offense we play than any other. It’s really helping us and giving us a boost in recruiting already. I’m looking forward to getting some really talented kids in our program.”

He was clearly optimistic about what he could build in the Sunshine State.

Excitement is growing. It all started with the hire of the former Oregon offensive coordinator last December. Frost wants to bring an up-tempo style spread offense to UCF, which fits the skill set of the talented high school players around the state of Florida.

Recruits have taken notice. Players want to be a part of the UCFast and UCFierce movement. They want to put this school back on the map.

Since March, UCF has received a total of nine high school football recruit commits. Last week, the Knights had four straight days receiving a commit from a recruit.

Momentum is increasing this summer.

Before last year’s infamous 0-12 winless season, UCF was a championship-caliber football school by winning the American Athletic Conference outright in 2013, and sharing the AAC title in 2014. There were high expectations to continue that winning tradition in 2015, but it did not work out.

That is the past. Knights fans should look toward the future.

With national signing day only a few months away after he was hired, Frost made the most of it and ended up with the second best recruiting class in the AAC, according to Rivals. That is impressive, considering the short amount of time he had to put the class together and his incomplete coaching staff.

The excitement and momentum currently around the UCF football program began at that time when Frost and his coaching staff wanted to focus on recruiting the state of Florida, which is known as a football factory for high school football recruits.

Frost and his staff focused on establishing relationships with local and state high school coaches, laying the foundation for future recruiting success. That plan is paying dividends now.

He is not surprised at the recent recruiting success.

“We’re going to draw some really good talent to this place,” Frost told ESPN. “UCF is a place that kids are going to want to be. It’s the second-largest university in the country. It’s up and coming. Orlando is one of the best college towns in America. Great city to live in. I think if we start recruiting well and doing things that I know can help build a program into a winner I don’t see any reason we can’t reach a similar amount of consistent success.”

When scouting these recruits, Coach Frost is looking for difference makers and play makers to join the Knights football team. He expects the team to continue getting better and better players too as the program establishes itself.

These future Knights are expected to contribute on the field to help their team win on game days.

The future success for UCF Football in the years to come, begins with getting these recruits to commit to the program.

As of right now, UCF has the 48th ranked recruiting class in the nation, and the fourth best in the American Athletic Conference, according to 247sports.com.

There is still plenty of work to do until National Signing Day in February. However, UCF is off to a great start.

Let’s take a closer look at UCF’s 2016 recruiting class so far.

The best recruit in the class is a recent commitment. Three-star wide receiver Emmanuel Greene from Bradenton, Fla. Greene had many big school offers from around the country, including Miami (FL), Ohio State, Clemson, UCLA,and Georgia. The speedster will fit perfectly in Coach Frost’s new offense.

Safety Tariq Carpenter from Ludowici, Ga., was an early member of the class but a big get from April. So too was the first member of the class, running back Otis Anderson, Jr. of Jacksonville. He is a three-star recruit. He made his decision in March and is ranked as the 11th best All Purpose running back in the nation, according to 247sports.com.

Defensive End Antwan Owens (6-3 286 lbs) from Tallahassee, Fla., committed Saturday as a member of a big commitment wave this weekend. He is a three-star recruit who had other offers from Syracuse, Purdue, Maryland, Indiana and Mississippi State.

Momentum continued when UCF received a commitment this weekend from offensive lineman Viktor Beach from Fort Myers, Fla. He is a three-star recruit, who had other offers from Cincinnati, Mississippi State, and South Carolina.

There are lots of similar stories. Three-star recruits with some big offers who have bought into what Frost is trying to build in its early stages. This weekend’s seven on seven camp saw the Knights get five commitments in one big rush.

Excitement and momentum surrounding UCF has been recognized on the national level too with The Washington Post naming UCF “the top college preference for high school seniors this year in the state of Florida.”

#TheWashingtonPost named #UCF the top college preference for high school seniors this year in the state of Florida. pic.twitter.com/xJqeTE03YP

— UCF FB Recruiting (@UCF_Recruiting) June 20, 2016

Now the football team seemingly has to reap those rewards too.

Coach Frost and UCF Football is off to a great start for its 2017 recruiting class and they are just getting started.