ST. AUGUSTINE — UCF fended off a late challenge from one of its fiercest rivals to secure the verbal commitment for a priority target at wide receiver Saturday.
St. Augustine’s Carl Jenkins Jr. chose the Knights over South Florida, Louisville and Mississippi State. The 6-foot-2, 177-pound rising senior caught 60 passes for 1,172 yards and 15 touchdowns in helping the Yellow Jackets reach the FHSAA Class 3S championship game last season.
Jenkins, a long-term target of head coach Gus Malzahn and first-year offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr., became UCF’s second commitment at the position for the 2025 cycle. Tampa Bay Tech’s Santonyo Isaac pledged his to the Knights back in December and has not taken any visits since his trip to Orlando the opening weekend of June.
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South Florida made a significant, late impression for Jenkins during his final official visit of the summer (June 21-23). St. Augustine starting quarterback Locklan Hewlett flipped his commitment from Wake Forest to the Bulls in April, and he sought to bring his leading receiver along with him to Tampa.
“To be real with you, it was probably the hardest days of my life,” Jenkins said. “It was really either UCF or USF. I was thinking things though, really trying to make the best decision for me, not just because my quarterback is committed to their school or that USF is a really good program.
“I just wanted to pick what’s best for me, where I can fit in and where I can get to where I want to go after college. And I felt like the best fit was UCF.”
Jenkins, who took an official visit to Orlando during the first weekend of June, is ranked the No. 76 overall player and No. 17 wide receiver on the USA Today Florida Network top 100.
“You’re talking…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ucf-football-adds-commitment-st-200234321.html
Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal
Publish date : 2024-06-29 20:02:34
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