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ORLANDO — UCF welcomes its second group of recruits, including four of its five verbal commits for the 2027 cycle, for official visits this weekend, beginning June 12.
The Knights had mixed results from their first wave of visitors. Lake Wales' 1,000-yard receiver Kaneilius Purdy announced a verbal commitment during the trip, and the staff made positive impressions on several other in-state targets, including Barron Collier defensive tackle Akhcuonam Augustin, Miami Carol City linebacker Debonaire Johnson and Delray Beach Atlantic running back Omari St. Fort.
However, Crestview safety Zy Tassin chose Wake Forest the following weekend and Hendersonville (Tenn.) offensive tackle Teagan Parizek locked in a commitment with Arkansas.
In addition, six players who previously booked trips to Orlando for June 12-14 — North Iberville (La.) cornerback Bra'Jon Melancon, Glassboro (N.J.) linebacker Tasheem Butler, Tabor Academy (Mass.) offensive tackle Botond Varga, Flanagan wide receiver Jacob Thomas, Glenwood (Iowa) interior offensive lineman Drake Buthe and Jackson (Mo.) offensive tackle Brayden Harris — decided to cancel.
Butler, a North Carolina commit, recently shut down his recruitment. Thomas is committed to Pittsburgh, UCF's Week 2 opponent this fall. Melancon will instead head to Kansas State. Varga, Buthe and Harris locked in their spots with Syracuse, Minnesota and K-State, respectively.
Here is the updated full list of expected arrivals this weekend.
David Overstreet II, who joined UCF's coaching staff from the Dallas Cowboys just before the start of spring ball, may look to bring a couple of Lone Star State DBs with him down to Orlando. Perhaps overshadowed at Duncanville by Ole Miss signee Victor Lincoln Jr. and Colorado signee Braylon Edwards Jr., Barnes had 35 tackles, 10 pass breakups, five TFLs and two interceptions to earn all-district honors.
UCF landed Ehmen's verbal commitment May 15, two days after position coach Cooper Bassett saw him for an in-home visit. He's got 4.6 speed to go along with a 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame. Over the last two seasons, Ehmen has caught 15 passes for 265 yards.
UCF brought in a pair of tackles two weekends ago, but Marcus Small remains committed to Syracuse and Teagan Parizek chose Arkansas. Golden graduated last year from Greenwich (Conn.) High, where he played tight end and defensive end. He has more than a dozen Division I offers ahead of his post-grad season, including Wake Forest, Tulane and hometown UConn.
On May 23, three days after receiving an offer from UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Kolbow locked in his commitment. Per MaxPreps, Kolbow was credited with 23 passes defended as a junior, including a pair of interceptions. He added a pick in last month's spring game against Raines, the reigning FHSAA Class 3A champion.
Mark D'Onofrio landed a New Jersey linebacker last cycle in Don Bosco Prep's Matthew Occhipinti, and he will try to do the same this time around by flipping McDuffie away from Syracuse. Like Occhipinti, McDuffie earned USA TODAY Network All-New Jersey recognition, producing monster two-way stats (26 receptions, 516 yards, six TDs; 105 tackles, five TFLs, three sacks, four forced fumbles).
MontsDeOca served up 44 pancake blocks for Fort Meade and made the Lakeland Ledger's All-Polk County first team, generating Power Four offers from Colorado, Wake Forest, West Virginia and UCF. Fort Meade had a balanced offense in 2025, averaging 137.2 rushing yards and 154.5 passing yards per game while scoring 264 points. Earlier this week, MontsDeOca announced he will enroll at Lakeland Christian for his senior year.
Render should see an expanded role for a team that finished runner-up in the FHSAA's Class 7A and graduated its four leaders in the TFL department. Render, who had 23 tackles and 3½ TFLs, had a strong showing in Vero Beach's intrasquad scrimmage last month with a QB hit and a pair of batted passes at the line of scrimmage.
UCF's longest-tenured commit, making his choice public on April 20, Robinson caught 21 passes for 391 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Mater Academy across the board in the receiving department. He received praise from former Knights receiver Amari Johnson on social media, who saluted Robinson’s "smooth routes, strong hands" and called him a "big-time playmaker."
UCF believes the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Robinson, who transferred June 8 from Ocala Vanguard, has lots of untapped potential entering his senior year; he played just two games, per MaxPreps, and collected 10 tackles in 2025. He told 247Sports’ Andrew Cherico that UCF "has always been one of my top schools," and he committed after the team’s open practice May 2.
UCF jumped into the mix for Wade, Lancaster's 6-foot-2, 185-pound safety with a reported laser 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds, on May 26. He'd collected a number of Group of Six offers earlier in the month, including Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, Texas State and Tulsa, and he has a planned visit next weekend for UTSA.
Waye is the highest-ranked recruit, according to 247Sports' composite scores, set to spend this weekend with the Knights. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound all-purpose back rushed for a team-high 838 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he added 15 catches for 304 yards and two scores. UCF did not crack Waye's initial top-12 last December, but seven of those schools have already taken at least one commitment from a rising senior running back. In addition, the Knights have a vacancy at the position after Cardinal Mooney's Connail Jackson decommitted on June 10.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football recruiting: Official visit list for June 12-14
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The Knights had mixed results from their first wave of visitors. Lake Wales' 1,000-yard receiver Kaneilius Purdy announced a verbal commitment during the trip, and the staff made positive impressions on several other in-state targets, including Barron Collier defensive tackle Akhcuonam Augustin, Miami Carol City linebacker Debonaire Johnson and Delray Beach Atlantic running back Omari St. Fort.
However, Crestview safety Zy Tassin chose Wake Forest the following weekend and Hendersonville (Tenn.) offensive tackle Teagan Parizek locked in a commitment with Arkansas.
In addition, six players who previously booked trips to Orlando for June 12-14 — North Iberville (La.) cornerback Bra'Jon Melancon, Glassboro (N.J.) linebacker Tasheem Butler, Tabor Academy (Mass.) offensive tackle Botond Varga, Flanagan wide receiver Jacob Thomas, Glenwood (Iowa) interior offensive lineman Drake Buthe and Jackson (Mo.) offensive tackle Brayden Harris — decided to cancel.
Butler, a North Carolina commit, recently shut down his recruitment. Thomas is committed to Pittsburgh, UCF's Week 2 opponent this fall. Melancon will instead head to Kansas State. Varga, Buthe and Harris locked in their spots with Syracuse, Minnesota and K-State, respectively.
Here is the updated full list of expected arrivals this weekend.
Jonathan Barnes, CB, Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)
David Overstreet II, who joined UCF's coaching staff from the Dallas Cowboys just before the start of spring ball, may look to bring a couple of Lone Star State DBs with him down to Orlando. Perhaps overshadowed at Duncanville by Ole Miss signee Victor Lincoln Jr. and Colorado signee Braylon Edwards Jr., Barnes had 35 tackles, 10 pass breakups, five TFLs and two interceptions to earn all-district honors.
Tanner Ehmen, TE, Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)
UCF landed Ehmen's verbal commitment May 15, two days after position coach Cooper Bassett saw him for an in-home visit. He's got 4.6 speed to go along with a 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame. Over the last two seasons, Ehmen has caught 15 passes for 265 yards.
Michael Golden, OT, Avon Old Farms (Avon, Conn.)
UCF brought in a pair of tackles two weekends ago, but Marcus Small remains committed to Syracuse and Teagan Parizek chose Arkansas. Golden graduated last year from Greenwich (Conn.) High, where he played tight end and defensive end. He has more than a dozen Division I offers ahead of his post-grad season, including Wake Forest, Tulane and hometown UConn.
Kash Kolbow, S, Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
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On May 23, three days after receiving an offer from UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Kolbow locked in his commitment. Per MaxPreps, Kolbow was credited with 23 passes defended as a junior, including a pair of interceptions. He added a pick in last month's spring game against Raines, the reigning FHSAA Class 3A champion.
Ian McDuffie, LB, Passaic Tech (Wayne, N.J.)
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Mark D'Onofrio landed a New Jersey linebacker last cycle in Don Bosco Prep's Matthew Occhipinti, and he will try to do the same this time around by flipping McDuffie away from Syracuse. Like Occhipinti, McDuffie earned USA TODAY Network All-New Jersey recognition, producing monster two-way stats (26 receptions, 516 yards, six TDs; 105 tackles, five TFLs, three sacks, four forced fumbles).
Ty MontsDeOca, IOL, Lakeland Christian (Lakeland, Fla.)
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MontsDeOca served up 44 pancake blocks for Fort Meade and made the Lakeland Ledger's All-Polk County first team, generating Power Four offers from Colorado, Wake Forest, West Virginia and UCF. Fort Meade had a balanced offense in 2025, averaging 137.2 rushing yards and 154.5 passing yards per game while scoring 264 points. Earlier this week, MontsDeOca announced he will enroll at Lakeland Christian for his senior year.
Dontallis Render, EDGE, Vero Beach (Vero Beach, Fla.)
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Render should see an expanded role for a team that finished runner-up in the FHSAA's Class 7A and graduated its four leaders in the TFL department. Render, who had 23 tackles and 3½ TFLs, had a strong showing in Vero Beach's intrasquad scrimmage last month with a QB hit and a pair of batted passes at the line of scrimmage.
Jamal Robinson Jr., WR, Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.)
UCF's longest-tenured commit, making his choice public on April 20, Robinson caught 21 passes for 391 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Mater Academy across the board in the receiving department. He received praise from former Knights receiver Amari Johnson on social media, who saluted Robinson’s "smooth routes, strong hands" and called him a "big-time playmaker."
Noah Robinson, DT, Jones (Orlando, Fla.)
UCF believes the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Robinson, who transferred June 8 from Ocala Vanguard, has lots of untapped potential entering his senior year; he played just two games, per MaxPreps, and collected 10 tackles in 2025. He told 247Sports’ Andrew Cherico that UCF "has always been one of my top schools," and he committed after the team’s open practice May 2.
Tavarren Wade, S, Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas)
UCF jumped into the mix for Wade, Lancaster's 6-foot-2, 185-pound safety with a reported laser 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds, on May 26. He'd collected a number of Group of Six offers earlier in the month, including Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, Texas State and Tulsa, and he has a planned visit next weekend for UTSA.
Caden Waye, RB, Ola (McDonough, Ga.)
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Waye is the highest-ranked recruit, according to 247Sports' composite scores, set to spend this weekend with the Knights. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound all-purpose back rushed for a team-high 838 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he added 15 catches for 304 yards and two scores. UCF did not crack Waye's initial top-12 last December, but seven of those schools have already taken at least one commitment from a rising senior running back. In addition, the Knights have a vacancy at the position after Cardinal Mooney's Connail Jackson decommitted on June 10.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football recruiting: Official visit list for June 12-14
Continue reading...
