Scott Frost is back with the UCF Knights, and he started strong on the recruiting trail in 2025. Despite a lull in May, recruiting has ramped up with three commits in the first week of June. The Knights are up to 10 verbal commitments entering the midway point of June. The coaching staff has prioritized speed, and that shows up with all of their recruits. Let’s take a look at who the UCF coaching staff has been able to pull into Orlando for the 2026 class.
UCF Knights Recruiting Roundup – June
Offensive Recruits
Quarterback
UCF brought in a couple of transfer quarterbacks for the 2025 season, but it is obvious that Scott Frost and quarterback coach Mackenzie Milton are looking to develop within the program. The offense is looking for players who can be a dual threat, and they found two underrated prospects.
Kane Archer is the more polished passer, finishing with 3,880 yards passing, 57 touchdowns, and over 700 rushing yards in 2024. Archer is currently the 34th-ranked QB on 247 Sports.
However, Dante Carr committed in the past week, and his numbers do not tell the whole story. His high school offense relied on the run, so he only attempted 180 passes last year. However, he threw for 22 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. He also improved his running, increasing his totals from 600 in 2023 to over 1,100 in 2024. Carr is from Pennsylvania and has trained with former NFL player Chad Henne. You can hear more from him in our interview with Carr from last week.
Running Back
UCF has a stable of running backs for 2025, but they added another versatile athlete in the 2026 class. Kaj Baker is outside the top-500 prospects in the nation, but he is fast in space, and the coaching staff wants to use him as a running back and wide receiver. The coaching staff envisions him to be utilized much like DeAnthony Thomas, whom Coach Frost coached at Oregon when he was an offensive coordinator.
Wide Receiver
UCF has a couple of freshmen who are looking to get serious playing time in 2025, but the receiver room needs more depth. UCF was able to get a commitment out of Tyren Wortham, who had a Georgia offer and is a four-star composite prospect. Wortham had a breakout season in 2024, with 67 catches for over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns. He built on that by being named wide receiver MVP in the Under Armour Next Camp in Orlando. Wortham’s profile will continue to rise; as long as Frost can keep him committed, this could be the gem of the class.
Tight End
The offense this year looks to highlight big athletic tight ends, and Charlie Jilek fits the bill. He is from Michigan and has good size at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. The Knights beat out schools like Ball State, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan. 247 Sports gave Jilek a three-star rating, and he is ranked the 78th athlete in the class. Jilek has played tight end and linebacker, but is projected to stay at tight end at UCF. You can learn more about this prospect in our official interview.
Offensive Line
The coaching staff acted quickly in getting recruits after the hiring in early December. They looked at under-the-radar offensive linemen who could move well and have experience playing in a spread scheme. That continued in 2026 with the commitment of Kasiyah Charlton out of Brunswick, Georgia.
Charlton committed a month after he was given an offer from UCF and chose the Knights over Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, and Liberty. Charlton is currently ranked outside the top-1000 prospects, but is looking to enroll early and get a head start on his competition. Check out what he had to say about his commitment along with what he is looking forward to at UCF.
Defensive Recruits
Defensive Line
The Knights finally addressed the defensive line with the latest commitment in June. Isaiah McNish is from Apopka, Florida and had offers from Georgia Tech and Syracuse before committing to UCF.
McNish is 6-foot-3, 265 pounds and runs track as well. He shows his versatility, playing on both sides of the ball. In 2024, he ran for seven touchdowns and had three sacks in seven games. The Knights need to continue to beef up their lines playing in the Big 12 and McNish is a great start.
Linebacker
It is obvious that UCF has been prioritizing speed when recruiting linebackers. And, they are going after some highly productive players.
Kymani Morales out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was the second commit of this class. In 2023, he had 12 sacks and in 2024 he finished with 126 tackles. 247 Sports has Morales outside the top-100 players in Florida, but with another big season he should move up those ranks.
Morales decided to stay in Florida at UCF over other power four offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, and Purdue. Morales lined up all over the field and is quick off the ball and showed great lateral speed. He talks to me about what he loves about playing defense in the official interview with The League Winners.
Defensive Backs
To help reinforce the secondary, UCF stayed in state for the recruiting process, getting two under-the-radar players.
Elijah Keys was the first defensive back to sign in this class and is from Neptune Beach, Florida. He earned All-Conference honors at cornerback in 2024 and provides length at the position.
JaCari Jackson is a hometown kid from Orlando that could not wait to jump at the chance at staying close to home. He is a multi-sport athlete that ran track and played on both sides of the ball in 2024. He had over 1,200 all purpose yards and two interceptions on defense. Just like the rest of the class, UCF has found traits that they like and are offering high upside players early.
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Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.