By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

First off, kudos to Gus Malzahn and his staff for raising their recruiting as they embark on their first season in the Big 12.

Earlier this month, Malzahn held the third Bounce House event since his arrival and by far his most successful in terms of getting elite recruits on campus.

Of the 22 official visitors, 12 were blue-chip recruits. UCF had three attend last year at the same event. They have signed a grand total of 18 blue-chippers all-time, according to the 247Sports database.

UCF’s staff not only brought in luxury cars to dress up the facilities, Malzahn also outfitted himself in an astronaut suit to show these guys he’s serious about wanting them to be a part of the program’s future. That’s commitment.

All that said, the hardest part in recruiting for a rising program like UCF is getting the buy-in come December.

Last year, the Knights lost three-star offensive tackle Jamal Meriweather to Georgia at the last minute after a  14 months verbal commitment. Then, three-star tight end Jayvontay Conner dropped them the moment Ole Miss extended an offer.

It’s inevitable if SEC schools and other elite programs go head-to-head with UCF for guys — they’re going to lose a few until they prove they can win at the Power 5 level.

In the meantime, I feel good about a handful of last weekend’s  prospects eventually committing. Three-star edge rusher DJ Allen left raving about his trip to Orlando.

Purdue and Louisville are the biggest competition with Allen.

Meanwhile, I predict the Knights will end up with four-star running back Stacy Gage, who is originally from the Tampa area. He said he wants to commit before the season begins, but it’s a recruitment that will probably come down to the wire.

Three-star defensive back Christian Peterson from Atlanta told Recruiting News Guru that UCF is his top school coming off the trip, but he has an official visit to Cincinnati, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech.

The two biggest recruits UCF probably has the best shot of landing are four-star safety Brandon Jacob and four-star offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, two standouts who live nearby and could be convinced to take the Knights to the next level.

Pierre-Louis, the younger brother of former Gators offensive tackle Richard Gouraige, is close with three-star defensive line commitment Sincere Edwards.

UCF needs to upgrade its offensive line talent. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Malzahn lands some quality recruits at that spot from the Georgia area, such as four-star Waltclaire Flynn Jr. or three-stars Jordan Floyd and Kahlil House.

The Knights now have seven commits for the 2024 class and are poised to crack the top 40 of 247Sports’ composite team rankings.

All verbal commitments are non-binding until December when the early signing period opens.

I expect UCF to have its best recruiting class in school history with a finish in the top 40.