UCF Hires Grant Heard as Wide Receivers Coach

With the addition of Grant Heard, UCF has found a good all-around fit for coaching and recruiting.

Brian Smith | Mar 3, 2022

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UCF Knights

ORLANDO - UCF Football has found its man to be in charge of the wide receivers. After coaching Indiana’s wide receivers from 2017-2021, Grant Heard comes on board to be the Knights leader of the wide receiver corps.

A former Ole Miss player himself, at wide receiver no less, Heard has seen a great deal of success with coaching up two prospects that did not come with a lot of recruiting fanfare. The results were still tremendous.

BIG PLAY THREATS

With two separate Hoosiers, the receiver position provided dynamic playmakers. These were not the kids offered by the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world. No, not at all. Coach Heard coached them up.

Ty Fryfogle came to Indiana from Lucedale (George County). He was overlooked by many of the top programs in the SEC and Big XII. That did not stop him from having a lot of success for the Hoosiers including 158 career receptions, four 100 yard receiving games, and 10 career receiving touchdowns. A player that went off against Ohio State in the 2020 matchup at the Horseshoe with seven receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns, he was a product of Heard’s teaching methods.

Another key member of the Indiana team was receiver Whop Philyar. After playing for Tampa (Fla.) Plant, Philyar became a key member of the Hoosiers during his first season on campus with 33 receptions and three touchdowns. For his career, Philyar caught 180 passes in an Indiana uniform, ranking him No. 4 all-time. He also finished with seven games of 100 or more yards receiving.

Those efforts allowed Indiana to be a major threat through the air, as the Hoosiers were in the top three in Big 10 passing from 2017-2019, just as one important statistic.

Beyond the ability to coach top-notch playmakers outside, there’s another reason for UCF fans to be excited about Heard joining the UCF coaching staff. That would be recruiting.

HEARD KNOWS DIXIE

After playing for Ole Miss, as well as coaching for Ole Miss, Heard also covered the deep South and especially Florida for the Hoosiers along the recruiting trail. He’s well aware of what type of talent resides in states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and of course Florida. The last state is of particular importance.

Indiana hit Florida very hard. In fact, several of the Hoosiers assistants were focused on landing Sunshine State prospects. With Heard being one of those coaches that was building relationships with high school coaches and contacts down in Florida, he’s going to be able to be quite comfortable with his move to Orlando.

The Knights were already recruiting many of the same players that Indiana was recruiting. He’s just changing the institution for which he recruits. Heard is a good fit in Orlando, and Head Coach Gus Malzahn and the rest of the people that follow UCF Football should be happy he’s now representing the Knights.

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