clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

UCF Lands Recruits Over 36 Power 5 Programs

Heupel’s 2019 class is proving that UCF will have the talent to compete with anyone

NCAA Football: AAC Championship-Memphis at Central Florida Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

There are many different ways the recruiting experts will break down the success of a school’s recruiting class. One way I like to do it is by seeing what other schools wanted the same players. Sure, a kid may be a 2-star or 3-star recruit but if some big name programs are going after him, there has to be something the film shows that the stars don’t.

Below, I break down how many times UCF beat out a Power 6 school for a recruit strictly based on those who signed their National Letter of Intent yesterday. This will not reflect Cam Goode (Virginia Tech) and Jordan Hayes (Duke) who both committed to UCF as transfers.

Power 6 Offers to UCF Signees by School

School # of Offers Conference
School # of Offers Conference
South Florida 8 AAC
Cincinnati 4 AAC
East Carolina 4 AAC
Tulane 4 AAC
Boston College 4 ACC
Pittsburgh 4 ACC
Baylor 4 Big 12
Temple 3 AAC
Georgia Tech 3 ACC
North Carolina 3 ACC
Syracuse 3 ACC
Nebraska 3 Big 10
Auburn 3 SEC
Georgia 3 SEC
Kentucky 3 SEC
Tennessee 3 SEC
Southern Methodist 2 AAC
Tulsa 2 AAC
Clemson 2 ACC
Florida State 2 ACC
Louisville 2 ACC
Miami (FL) 2 ACC
North Carolina State 2 ACC
Wake Forest 2 ACC
Maryland 2 Big 10
Minnesota 2 Big 10
Rutgers 2 Big 10
Iowa State 2 Big 12
Mississippi 2 SEC
Missouri 2 SEC
Texas A&M 2 SEC
Houston 1 AAC
Navy 1 AAC
Duke 1 ACC
Virginia Tech 1 ACC
Illinois 1 Big 10
Purdue 1 Big 10
Kansas State 1 Big 12
West Virginia 1 Big 12
Arizona 1 Pac 12
Arizona State 1 Pac 12
USC 1 Pac 12
Florida 1 SEC
Mississippi State 1 SEC
Vanderbilt 1 SEC

The list is highlighted by UCF taking 8 recruits away from rival South Florida. In terms of recruiting, they’re UCF’s biggest competitor. What becomes more surprising is when you start seeing Heupel land multiple recruits over programs like Georgia, Miami, Florida State, Clemson and Auburn, to name a few. I think that really speaks volumes to where the program is as a whole and how it’s perceived.

The cherry on top is seeing 3 out of 5 recruits choose UCF over Scott Frost and Nebraska. Jarrad Baker Jr. (ATH), Adrian Medley (OT) and Keenan Hester (DE) were all wanted in Lincoln but they chose Orlando instead.

Power 6 Offers to UCF Signees by Conference

Conference # of Schools
Conference # of Schools
AAC 9
ACC 13
Big 10 6
Big 12 4
Pac 12 3
SEC 10

At the end of early signing day, UCF able to land recruits over 36 “Power 5” schools. This includes 13 of the 14 ACC schools and 10 of the 14 SEC schools. Per Rivals, UCF had a higher rated recruiting class than 16 “Power 5” schools.

Those who may look at the recruiting ranks at a quick glance may see UCF in the middle of the pack may use that as ammo to argue why UCF doesn’t belong with the big boys. The truth is that most of the big boys were going after the same players. There’s no doubt that UCF is bringing in the same level of talent as some of the best in the nation.