Thursday Recruiting Run Down

A sampling of recruiting news around UCF Football.

Brian Smith | Apr 21, 2022

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UCF Knights

ORLANDO - The Knights are staying busy on the recruiting trail. Here’s an overview of a few of the prospects UCF fans need to know about.

Edit: This article was published right before quarterback Dylan Ryzk committed to UCF. You can read about that here.

In Case You Missed It

The Knights landed three important commitments since last Friday. First, it was defensive end Isaiah Nixon that committed, and then it was offensive tackle Jamal Meriweather right afterwards, this past Saturday at the Spring Game.

Yesterday, talented tight end Jayvontay Conner pledged to the Knights and Head Coach Gus Malzahn. All three of these young men are top recruits coveted by ACC and SEC programs among others.

UCF is now sitting at five total commitments. Hit the links with the player names above to read the details about them.

Knights Offer Standout Georgia Quarterback

For anyone that did not yet watch the sophomore highlights of Jake Merklinger, it’s well worth the time. The 6’3”, 190-pound signal caller from Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day has a plus-arm as a mere underclassmen in high school and makes clutch plays. Look for a prospect profile of this talented player in the very near future from Inside The Knights.

#AGTG Very blessed to say I have received an Offer from The University of Central Florida ⚔️! @ChipLindsey11 @CoachGusMalzahn @CoachJesseStone pic.twitter.com/foOOjeLG7A
— Jake Merklinger (@JakeMerklinger) April 20, 2022

Top DT Taking June Official Visit to UCF

Ironically, another prospect from Calvary Day School is headed to UCF soon. Talented defensive tackle Terry Simmons, Jr. will be heading to UCF (June 17) for an official visit. This is big for the Knights. After not signing a true high school defensive tackle in the class of 2022, the UCF coaching staff needs at least two players that can play along the interior of the defensive line. Simmons fits the profile at 6’2” and roughly 300-pounds.

It does not hurt that he plays alongside UCF linebacker commitment Troy Ford, Jr. To say that Calvary Day School has some players, that’s an understatement. There’s even a tight end from Calvary Day School that UCF is after in Michael Smith. The Knights coaching staff will have to wait a bit for Smith, however, as he’s a class of 2024 prospect.

Local Prospects Earning Recruiting Respect

For a long time, one of the best programs in the greater Orlando area would be Kissimmee (Osceola). It’s not only good at winning games, that’s a program known for producing FBS-level prospects, too.

Many know about the elite defensive linemen playing for the Kowboys this year in Derrick LeBlanc and John Walker. Both deserve a lot of attention as they are capable of playing for any school in the country. Many do not know about a couple of skill players from that program, however.

First, there’s super athlete Ja’Keem Jackson. He could play cornerback, safety or wide receiver. The physical traits are there. He’s just now starting to truly blow up with offers from Miami, Rutgers and Penn State within the last week alone.

The 6’2”, 180-pound talent is being recruited by UCF and many others to play cornerback or safety. He’s very long and he can definitely run.

The other player for Osceola that for some reason did not get his first offer until just recently would be slot receiver Izaiah Jean Baptiste. USF recently offered the 5’11”, 185-pound athlete, but do not expect it to be his last FBS offer.

He has the surest hands of any receiver that played for powerful 24K 7v7 this year, and that’s a team loaded with Power Five receivers. Jean-Baptiste is also a potential defensive back at the FBS level.

Izaiah Jean-Baptiste Cornerback/Wide Receiver Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola 2023

It would not be surprising if UCF entered the race for him at some point. Jean-Baptiste certainly lives close enough to the UCF campus. He’s already visited UCF, too.

Moving forward, Inside The Knights will have a weekly recruiting feature on Thursdays. Interviews, offers, projections, recruiting by position analysis and more will all be a part of each Thursday recruiting article.

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