UCF football recruiting: Bartram Trail QB Riley Trujillo commits to Knights
For the third straight recruiting cycle, UCF football coach Gus Malzahn has his guy at quarterback.
The Knights received an oral commitment from Bartram Trail quarterback Riley Trujillo, who announced his decision on social media just hours after UCF opened spring practice Monday.
Trujillo, who was in attendance for the first practice watching with other high school prospects, has been on campus multiple times since the start of the year throughout his recruitment.
“I know where home is. I am committing to the University of Central Florida.” Trujillo wrote in a first-person essay published on the USA TODAY Network. “I’ve visited twice — for junior day and on the first weekend of March. I fell in love with the school and the coaching staff.
“The atmosphere around UCF is different, and I could really feel that energy when I walked in for the first time.”
The Knights initially offered Trujillo last May and new offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw has connected with him from the time he was hired by Malzahn in January.
The 3-star signal-caller ranks as the No. 96 prospect in Florida and the No. 40 overall quarterback in the country for the 2024 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite ratings that combine rankings listed by major recruiting services.
Averaging 14.5 yards per completion as a junior, Trujillo threw for more than 1,900 yards and 15 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback ran for 710 yards and 5 scores while leading Bartram Trail to a 12-1 record.
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins describes Trujillo as a “touch passer with a favorable frame that can add plenty of value as a runner.”
“[He] understands how to use trajectory better than most his age and throws a rather catchable ball over his target’s shoulders,” Ivins wrote in a January scouting report. “Junior season spray chart is painted with deep shots while junior highlight tape is full of clips where he’s breaking free in the open field as a ball carrier after executing the read-option to near perfection.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback becomes UCF’s third commitment in the 2024 recruiting class, joining Lincoln (Tallahassee) linebacker Samarian Robinson and Wekiva defensive lineman Sincere Edwards.
All verbal commitments are non-binding until December when the early signing period opens and they can become official.
Trujillo is the third high school quarterback Malzahn has received a commitment from during his three years in Orlando.
Malzahn signed Georgia product Thomas Castellanos in the 2022 recruiting cycle and followed that up by signing Cardinal Gibbons quarterback Dylan Rizk as part of the ‘23 class this past December.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede .
