UCF hosts top senior, junior recruiting targets for Knight Splash pool party
UCF will throw one last football recruiting party before the summer lets out, and make one more push for a handful of top targets.
Nearly 40 athletes from the 2023 and 2024 classes are expected to attend Tuesday's Knight Splash, an on-campus pool party situated right in between two NCAA dead periods. Prospects will not return to campus until September at the earliest when official visits may resume.
Here is a full list of expected attendees, subject to change, with some analysis on the group as a whole.
2023
Tampa Catholic defensive lineman Baraka Andrews
Lake Wales safety Jaremiah Anglin Jr.
Apopka defensive end Kaven Call*
Dr. Phillips defensive back Jimez Hamilton
Lake Brantley linebacker Andrew Harris*
Lake Brantley linebacker Michael Harris*
Loachapoka (Ala.) cornerback JC Hart
Pahokee edge rusher DeeJay Holmes
Osceola cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson
Seminole wide receiver Goldie Lawrence
Osceola defensive end Derrick LeBlanc
Tampa Catholic offensive lineman Chris Luna
Lake Mary cornerback Braeden Marshall
Brunswick (Ga.) offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather*
Lakeland defensive tackle Guerlens Milfort
Eustis wide receiver Tyree Patterson
Apopka offensive lineman Tai Ray
Boone kicker Grant Reddick
Osceola defensive tackle John Walker
Lakeland offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson
Lakeland wide receiver Daidren Zipperer
* Denotes verbal commit
Buzz: Four of the Knights' six verbal commits will be on hand with Cardinal Gibbons quarterback Dylan Rizk and Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day linebacker Troy Ford Jr. the only absentees. Walker certainly stands out, especially in the aftermath of 247Sports' scouting director Steve Wiltfong's crystal ball prediction favoring the Knights for the top-100 national recruit. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound behemoth also has Ohio State, Michigan, Florida and Miami in his top-five. Wide receiver and defensive back are still needs in this cycle, so the arrivals of Zipperer, FSU commit Lawrence, UF commit Patterson, Marshall, Anglin and Hart are significant. Marshall is set to make his choice Saturday, though he listed his top-3 as Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
2024
Edgewater defensive tackler Josh Alexander-Felton
Edgewater wide receiver Cai Bates
Clearwater defensive back Jarvis Boatwright
Benjamin running back Chauncey Bowens
Wekiva defensive end Sincere Edwards
Largo linebacker Adarius Hayes
Edgewater wide receiver AJ Howard
Oviedo offensive lineman Tye Hylton
Buchholz defensive tackle Kendall Jackson
Tampa Catholic wide receiver TJ Moore
Langston Hughes (Ga.) quarterback Prentiss Noland
Tampa Catholic offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis
Tampa Catholic defensive tackle Xavier Porter
Dr. Phillips safety/linebacker Shad Presley
Jones defensive tackle D'Antre Robinson
Lakeland wide receiver Jamar Taylor Jr.
Olympia defensive back Jalon Thompson
Buzz: Hayes and Pierre-Louis have spent plenty of time at UCF already, including the program's spring game in March. Both are top-200 national recruits, per 247Sports' composite rankings — as are Robinson and Noland, better known by his nickname Air. Edgewater impressed last month during 7-on-7's, so it's not surprising to see a handful of Eagles in this list. Edwards is yet another touted recruit from the Apopka area, and one of the Knights' most significant long-term targets. There will be at least one 2025 recruit on hand, too — Newberry tight end/edge rusher Mykah Newton.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football recruiting: Knight Splash confirmed visitor list
