It’s being billed as the best recruiting class in program history.
With 23 signees from three states among the 2010 recruiting class, the UCF Knights football program is hoping this crop of student-athletes will help raise the bar for years to come.
Among those becoming Knights under head coach George O’Leary during Wednesday’s National Signing Day were nine from Miami-Dade County; including five from Class 6A state runner-up Miami Central High School.
There were 18 signings in all that took place on Wednesday as five student-athletes had already enrolled at the school in January for the current semester.
Commitments from the Central Florida area included quarterback Blake Bortles (Oviedo High School), defensive tackle E.J. Dunston (Edgewater High School), defensive tackle Andrew Rice (Lake Mary High School), and defensive back Jordan Ozerities and wide receiver Cornelius Whitehead, both out of Mount Dora High School.
Below is a look at the 2010 class, courtesy of UCF Athletic Department.
– Remaining Close to Home –
Blake Bortles (Photo by Scott McCall)Blake Bortles, QB, 6-4, 222, Oviedo, Fla. / Oviedo
Played for coach Wes Allen at Oviedo High School…Set Seminole County record with 5,576 career passing yards and 53 touchdowns… Ranked number eight in the Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Top 100 as a senior… A third-team all-state pick in 2008… Helped team to a 9-2 record senior year… Twice named all-county…Completed 151-of-233 passes for 2,211 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a senior…The MVP of the Central Florida All-Star Game…As a junior, threw for 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns with nine interceptions while also running for 250 yards…Team was district champions in 2007 and 2009…Was also recruited by Purdue, Colorado State, Kentucky, Tulane and Western Kentucky.
E.J. Dunston, DT, 6-2, 308, Eatonville, Fla. / Edgewater
Played for coach William Gierke at Edgewater High School…Enrolled for classes in January…Made 75 tackles and five sacks as a senior and was named an all-star…Recorded 100 tackles with 10 sacks as a junior and 50 tackles with five sacks as a sophomore…Helped Edgewater to district and regional championships as a sophomore and senior…Teammate of current Knights Quincy McDuffie and Henry Wright at Edgewater…Was also recruited by Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Duke.
Andrew Rice, DT, 6-1, 280, Lake Mary, Fla. / Lake Mary
Played for coach Scott Perry at Lake Mary High School… Ranked amongst the top 20 players in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel…Named all-conference in 2008 and 2009…Named Lake Mary’s Best Defensive Lineman…Made 59 tackles as a senior with 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles…Had 42 tackles and four sacks as a junior…Conference champion in wrestling…Named to the honor roll and won the Citizenship Award…Was also recruited by Purdue, Wake Forest, Iowa State, Colorado State, New Mexico, FIU, FAU and Troy.
Jordan Ozerities, DB, 5-10, 185, Mount Dora, Fla. / Mount Dora
Played for coach Chad Grabowski at Mount Dora High School… Enrolled for classes in January…Named first-team All-Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel…A four-time all-area and all-county pick…Named honorable mention all-state as a sophomore…Played in the Central Florida All-Star Game…Was also recruited by Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Tulsa.
Cornelius Whitehead, WR, 6-1, 175, Mount Dora, Fla. / Mount Dora
Played for coach Chad Grabowski at Mount Dora High School… Enrolled for classes in January…Named all-state as a senior…Ranked amongst the top 50 players in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel…Scored 21 touchdowns as a junior with over 900 combined receiving and rushing yards…Was also recruited by Florida, Florida State, Georgia and South Carolina.
– The Miami Central Five –
Jeffrey Godfrey, QB, 5-11, 167, Miami, Fla. / Miami Central
Played for coach Telly Lockette at Miami Central High School…Team was 12-2 in 2009, won the county championship and advanced to the FHSAA state semifinals for 6A… Enrolled for classes in January…Florida’s 6A Player of the Year…Named “Mr. Dade Football”…Played in the annual Dade-Broward All-Star Game…All-Dade four times…The leading passer in Miami-Dade County history with 7,251 yards, breaking the mark of Miami Northwestern’s Jacory Harris…Rated as the top quarterback in Florida and amongst the nation’s top 10 dual threat quarterbacks…Threw for 2,758 yards as a senior with 36 touchdowns…Also recruited by Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USF and FIU.
Jose Jose, DL, 6-2, 355, Miami, Fla. / Miami Central
Played for coach Telly Lockette at Miami Central High School…Team was 12-2 in 2009, won the county championship and advanced to the FHSAA state semifinals for 6A…Twice named All-Dade County…Played at Booker T. Washington as a junior and was named first-team all-state…Played in the U.S.A. vs. the World All-Star Game…Ranked amongst the top 20 offensive linemen in the state by Bill Buchalter…Was also recruited by Florida, Miami, Rutgers, Tennessee, West Virginia and USF.
Jamar McClain, DB, 5-10, 175, Carol City, Fla. / Miami Central
Played for coach Telly Lockette at Miami Central High School…Team was 12-2 in 2009, won the county championship and advanced to the FHSAA state semifinals for 6A…Named to the Miami Herald All-Dade County team…Had 46 solo tackles and five interceptions as a senior…As a junior, intercepted a pair of passes and had 430 receiving yards…Also made three interceptions as a sophomore…Was also recruited by Auburn and Memphis.
Joshua Reese, WR, 6-1, 182, Miami, Fla. / Miami Central
Played for coach Telly Lockette at Miami Central High School…Team was 12-2 in 2009, won the county championship and advanced to the FHSAA state semifinals for 6A…A two-time all-state pick who has been ranked amongst the top 25 recruits in Florida and the top 150 recruits in the nation…Named to the Miami Herald All-Dade County team in 2008 and 2009…The top receiver in Miami-Dade County, had 43 catches as a senior for 820 yards and eight touchdowns and 40 grabs as a junior for 793 yards and 10 touchdowns…Played in the Dade-Broward All-Star Game and the U.S.A. vs. the World All-Star Game…Also recruited by Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, USF, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
LeBranden Richardson, DE, 6-2, 223, Miami, Fla. / Miami Central
Played for coach Telly Lockette at Miami Central High School…Team was 12-2 in 2009, won the county championship and advanced to the FHSAA state semifinals for 6A… Led Dade County in sacks and was named to the Miami Herald’s All-Dade team…Played in the annual Dade-Broward All-Star Game…Played in the U.S.A. vs. the World game…Had 92 tackles with 28 tacks, 30 tackles for loss, and nine forced fumbles…Was honorable mention all-conference at Hialeah High School in 2007 and 2008… Was also recruited by North Carolina.
– More Florida Commits –
Jordan McCray, OL, 6-4, 290, Miami, Fla. / Southridge
Played for coach Patrick Burrows at Southridge High School…Older brother, Cliff, played at UCF and was starting left guard in 2009…Team went undefeated in the 2009 regular season, winning the district championship, before losing in the state playoffs…Named All-Dade County as a senior by the Miami Herald after making 67 pancake blocks and not allowing a sack…Started 10 games as both a sophomore and a junior…Also qualified for the 6A state wrestling tournament as a sophomore…Member of the National Honors Society…Was also recruited by USF, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Rutgers, Miami, Illinois, Marshall and FAU.
Justin McCray, OL, 6-4, 290, Miami, Fla. / Southridge
Played for coach Patrick Burrows at Southridge High School…Older brother, Cliff, played at UCF and was starting left guard in 2009…Team went undefeated in the 2009 regular season, winning the district championship, before losing in the state playoffs…Named to the Miami Herald All-Dade County team as a senior for making 63 pancake blocks and not allowing a sack…Was district champion in wrestling as both a sophomore and junior…Member of the National Honors Society…Was also recruited by USF, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Rutgers, Miami, Illinois, Marshall and FAU.
Perry Meiklejohn, OL, 6-3, 306, Miami, Fla. / Westminster Christian
Played for coach Joe Mira at Westminster Christian… Enrolled for classes in January…Twice named All-Dade County…Team went 10-0 as a senior during the regular season and won the district championship…Was also recruited by Tennessee State.
Zach Soto, OL, 6-6, 278, Miami, Fla. / Monsignor Pace
Played for coach Alvin Slaughter at Monsignor Pace High School…Named All-Dade County and played in the Dade-Broward All-Star Game…Also played in the Team USA vs. Hawaii All-Star Game…Made 64 pancake blocks as a senior after recording 55 as a sophomore…Named Dade County Scholar Athlete of the Year…Helped Monsignor Pace to a 2008 district and regional championship and a berth in the state semifinals…Also recruited by Mississippi State, Duke, FAU and Buffalo.
Torrian Wilson, OL, 6-4, 315, Miami, Fla. / Miami Northwestern
Played for coach Billy Rolle at Miami Northwestern High School…Rated as the eighth best offensive guard in the nation by Rivals.com…Was selected for the Under Armor All-American Game…A first-team all-state pick and an All-Dade County selection as well…Made 120 pancake blocks as a junior alone and recorded four sacks on defense…Was also recruited by Stanford, Louisville, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Michigan and USF.
Woodley Cadet, DB, 6-2, 206, Loxahatchee, Fla. / Seminole Ridge
Played for coach Matt Dickman at Seminole Ridge High School…Made 45 tackles (37 solo) as a senior with four deflected passes and an interception…Named first-team all-district, all-conference and all-area by both the Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel…Also played some at wide receiver…Made 32 tackles as a junior, 24 of them solos, with four interceptions to earn all-conference honors…Named to Bill Buchalter’s Florida Top 100 list…Also recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Wake Forest and FAU.
– Five From Georgia –
Jordan Akins, WR, 6-4, 202, McDonough, Ga. / Union Grove
Played for coach Steven Collins at Union Grove High School…An all-state selection in 2009 as a senior…Attended Strong Rock Christian as a junior and passed for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns while also rushing for 784 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn all-state honors…Named all-conference as a sophomore…Also considered a pro prospect in baseball as a centerfielder…Was also recruited by Georgia, LSU, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
Quenton Brown, DE, 6-3, 215, Lilburn, Ga. / Tucker
Played for coach Franklin Stephens at Tucker High School… Helped Tucker to a 4A State Championship at 14-1…Made 68 tackles, 10 sacks and blocked five kicks as a senior…Recorded 67 tackles as a junior, including nine sacks and eight tackles for loss, while also catching 30 passes as a tight end for 400 yards and four touchdowns…Caught 27 more passes as a sophomore for 490 yards and four scores…Played in the North-South All-Star Game…Member of the National Honors Society…Tucker is also alma mater of current Knights Jonathan Davis and A.J. Bouye…Also recruited by Miami, Ole Miss, Michigan State, West Virginia and Marshall.
Tony Jacob, OL, 6-8, 310, Atlanta, Ga. / Westlake
Played for coach Gregory Minnis at Westlake High School…Named first-team all-region as a senior…Had 31 pancake blocks in 2009 and graded out at 86-percent…A team co-captain who helped Westlake to the 2009 state playoffs…Earned Westlake basketball’s Rebound and Character Award as a junior on a team ranked in the national Top 25…An honor roll student and perfect attendance award recipient…Was also recruited by Alabama, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky.
Cody Ralston, LB, 6-2, 196, Calhoun, Ga. / Calhoun
Played for coach Hal Lamb at Calhoun High School…Was an honorable mention all-state pick for all classifications and a second-team all-state 2A pick…Missed much of 2009 due to injury but had 27 tackles, including two TFLs…Mad e42 tackles as a junior with four tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a pair of touchdowns…Earned the team’s Captain’s Award in 2009 and the Iron man Award in 2008…Calhoun was the four-time regional champion and was twice the state runner-up….Was also recruited by Vanderbilt, Purdue and Middle Tennessee.
Justin Tukes, TE, 6-5, 230, Sylvester, Ga. / Worth County
Played for coach Scotty Ward at Worth County High School…Named all-region and all-metro as a senior…Selected for the Georgia vs. Florida Border War All-Star Game…Had 16 catches as a senior for 198 yards with three touchdowns…Also blocked a punt and made 14 tackles…Named to the all-region team as a sophomore and a junior as well…Caught a total of 22 passes as a sophomore and a junior combined for six touchdowns while also recording a total of 24 pancake blocks…Was also recruited by Louisville, UAB, Georgia State and Jacksonville State.
– Two From South Carolina –
Davious Chestnut, DB, 6-1, 185, Hemingway, S.C. / Carver’s Bay
Played for coach James Thompson at Carvers Bay High School…Helped team to Lower State Championship in 2007 and 2008 and a 33-4 overall record from 2007-09…Twice named to the South Carolina all-state team…Named all-region in 2009 at both defensive back and running back…Thrice named all-region as a defensive back…Team MVP…Played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas…On defense he led the team with three interceptions and had 48 tackles…Rushed for 1,078 yards with 18 touchdowns as a senior while making 68 tackles and four interceptions on defense.
Clayton Geathers, DB, 6-2, 190, Georgetown, S.C. / Carver’s Bay
Played for coach James Thompson at Carvers Bay High School… Helped team to Lower State Championship in 2007 and 2008 and a 33-4 overall record from 2007-09 …Named all-state as a defensive back in 2009 and as a running back in 2008…Was the team’s Offensive MVP as a junior, rushing for over 1,500 yards with 23 touchdowns while also making four interceptions on defense…A three-time all-region pick…Played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas…Was also recruited by South Carolina and Georgia.
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