UCF's Offer to 8th Grader T.K. Cunningham Shows How CFB Recruiting Has Changed

Meet T.K. Cunningham, the eighth grader just offered by UCF Football.

Brian Smith | Apr 4, 2022

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ORLANDO - The recruiting game starts earlier and earlier. With the exposure that talented young players receive from camps, combines and visits, UCF and other college football programs extend offers earlier than ever before.

Why would any school offer an eighth grader? Many answers come into play, and it’s hard for many people to understand. Maybe people outside of the actual recruiting industry itself do not even want to understand. Change is often hard for people. For years, and even decades, offers were rarely extended to players prior to their junior year of high school.That’s no longer the case as many players are offered as ninth and tenth graders.

Sometimes young men are just very talented. Their size, athleticism and skills are different from those around them. College football programs notice. That was the case for the class of 2024 defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham, now a sophomore and widely considered among the top recruits nationally. He was receiving recruiting attention as soon as he hit the gridiron in ninth grade. Offers poured in from all over during the past year or so.

The bigger question for the 6’6”, 275-pound Johns Creek (Ga.) High School defensive lineman would be which major programs have not offered as opposed to which ones have?

WHERE’S HOME???❤️ @Hayesfawcett3 @On3Recruits @on3nil pic.twitter.com/WnGDRtZsUo
— T.A. CUNNINGHAM (@_getlikealex) March 29, 2022

Despite an incredibly high number of offers prior to even playing a down of his junior season, Cunningham might have some competition for that question and it’s right down the hallway from where he sleeps at night.

Meet T.K. Cunningham, the younger brother of T.A. Cunningham. He’s already bringing in the offers, with the latest from the UCF Knights.

After a great conversation with @CoachKIngram I am thankful to receive my 7th Division 1 offer from UCF!!! @Coach_Martin95 @CStory808 @adamgorney @SWiltfong247 @MattStewartTV @JeremyO_Johnson @CraigHaubert @ChadSimmons_ @RivalsFriedman @LemmingReport pic.twitter.com/YnJmypV9DB
— T.K. CUNNINGHAM!¡ (@_thaxtonc) April 4, 2022

“Grambling State, Tennessee State, New Mexico, Georgia Tech, California, Vanderbilt, and UCF,” the younger Cunningham said of his current offer list.

He’s in eighth grade, and likely to soon to be on the varsity with “big bro” at John’s Creek High School. “Yeah we’re seeing what the future holds and looking forward to it.”

Nice start to the offer list, to say the least. While natural talent helps T.K. get on the radar, he’s also been working his craft at a very early age.

Also like his brother, he’s already been a part of the Under Armour All-American Camp series. It’s an invite-only camp that places top talent on the field to compete with and against one another to further develop their talents. While T.A. has been a part of the series for two years already, with T.K. being a part of the event as an eighth grader, he will eventually be involved with more Under Armour Camps than his older brother. They also hold the same propensity for what position they play.

T.A. Cunningham, Defensive End, Johns Creek (Ga.) High School - 2024 - Under Armour Atlanta — T.A. Cunningham While Participating During The 2021 Under Armour Camp Series In Alpharetta, Ga / Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

“Defensive end” says T.K. about his position. He’s already developing good size to play college football as well. “6’3”, 200-pounds.” To that end, he’s been working with multiple defensive line coaches already as he continues to grow into his frame.

“I sometimes work with Marcus Howard, Coach Charles Story, Coach Carswell and my dad.”

All of those trainers are established. They have worked and played the game and that’s led them into being trainers. With T.K. sharpening his skills by way of established defensive line coaches at such a young age, in addition to his dad, it is a great sign that this young man wants to be a standout football player. That’s also part of what colleges want to see.

Learning that a talented player is already establishing that he wants to get better helps teams like Georgia Tech or California or UCF to offer. It’s one thing to see talent, but it’s another to see that talent go to work before taking a high school class.

While the younger Cunningham is just starting his football journey, it’s a sign of how recruiting at the major college football level is trending: Young. Very young. If the players show talent and display a desire to work hard, schools are certainly more likely to offer. The times have changed with recruiting. Rare talents like T.K. are prime examples of just how early the recruiting game can start for talented football players as compared to what many people are accustomed to.

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