UCF rounds out 2022 signing class via transfer portal. Here’s who they got.
While UCF used December’s early signing period to snag 15 players with a mixture of in-state high school recruits and transfers, the Knights tapped the transfer portal extensively on National Signing Day.
UCF announced they secured signatures from an additional eight players for their 2022 class, and they’re each from the transfer portal.
The transfers the Knights got to add to their early signing class are quarterback John Rhys-Plumlee, defensive end K.D. McDaniel, tight end Kemore Gamble, wide receiver Kobe Hudson, defensive back Koby Perry, defensive tackle Lee Hunter, offensive lineman Ryan Swoboda and linebacker Terrence Lewis.
Two are South Florida natives. Gamble transferred from the University of Florida and played high school football at Miami Southridge, while Lewis played high school football at Miami Central and transferred from Maryland.
The addition of Rhys-Plumlee, who transferred from Ole Miss, adds a quarterback battle for the spring. The Knights lost starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel to a fractured clavicle in September, and he has not played since. Gabriel later announced plans to transfer. After announcing plans to play at UCLA, Gabriel reversed course and transferred to Oklahoma, according to various reports.
Gabriel’s replacement, Mikey Keene, had a 63.6 completion percentage with 16 touchdown passes in 10 games this season. And in the early signing period, the Knights got Thomas Castellanos from Ware County (Waycross, Georgia) High, who threw for more than 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. Castellanos had 7,710 career passing yards and 3,681 career rushing yards.
Meanwhile, USF signed most of its class in December. The Bulls haven’t had much success in recent years. They’ve won four games over the last two seasons under head coach Jeff Scott.
A former assistant under Dabo Swinney at Clemson, Scott was hired in December 2019.
On Wednesday, the Bulls announced one new addition to round out their 2022 signing class. They snagged four-star defensive end Michael Williams from West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Adding another defensive piece helps a program that was near the bottom of the country for rushing yards allowed among FBS programs in 2021.
Florida Atlantic head coach Willie Taggart added seven more players to the Owls’ 2022 class. FAU had more than a dozen players sign in December, which included two players Taggart’s staff recruited while he was still coaching in Tallahassee with linebacker Jaleel McRae and tight end Carter Boatwright.
On Wednesday, Taggart landed defensive lineman Kareem Wilson from Gulliver Prep as well as five other high school prospects and a transfer from Rutgers.
FAMU added three players to go with its early signings, while Bethune-Cookman signed its class Wednesday after not having any reported signings in December.
Here’s a full list, including December’s signings, by school:
UCF
TJ Bullard, LB, 6-1, 185, Tampa Berkeley Prep; Thomas Castellanos, QB, 5-11, 190, Ware County (Waycross, Georgia); Tylan Grable, OL, 6-7, 240, Jacksonville State; Tyler Griffin, WR, 6-4, 200, New Southeast Bulloch (Brooklet, Georgia); Demari Henderson, S, 6-0, 161, Sanford Seminole; Ja’Cari Henderson, CB, 6-0, 160, Sanford Seminole; Jamaal Johnson, DE, 6-2, 250, Chaminade-Madonna; Caden Kitler, OL, 6-3, 290, John Paul II (Plano, Texas); Quan Lee, WR, 6-0, 175, Gainesville Buchholz; Jordan McDonald, RB, 6-1, 220, Milton (Alpharetta, Georgia); Nikai Martinez, CB, 5-11, 175, Apopka; Kam Moore, LB, 6-1, 205, Sanford Seminole; Grant Stevens, TE, 6-4, 220, Ponte Vedra Beach Nease; Keahnist “KT” Thompson, DE, 6-3, 255, Lakeland; Xavier Townsend, WR, 5-10, 170, Tampa Berkeley Prep; Kemore Gamble, TE, 6-4, 245, Florida; Kobe Hudson, WR, 6-1, 200, Auburn; Lee Hunter, DT, 6-4, 320, Auburn; Terrence Lewis, LB, 6-3, 190, Maryland; KD McDaniel, DE, 6-2, 250, Kentucky; Koby Perry, DB, 6-0, 175, Austin Peay; John Rhys Plumlee, QB, 6-0, 200, Mississippi; Ryan Swoboda, OL, 6-10, 325, Virginia.
USF
Jhalin Hobbs, DL, 6-2, 280, Ruskin Lennard; DeAunte Hunter, LB, 6-4, 195, Valdosta (Georgia) Lowndes; Eddie Kelly, DL, 6-4, 265, Winter Garden West Orange; Jhalyn Shuler, LB, 6-2, 215, Coffeyville CC; Tavin Ward, DB, 6-1, 190, Palmetto Prep; Jacquez Williams, DL, 6-2, 270, Savannah (Georgia) Jenkins; Jason Albritton, RB, 5-10, 225, Lithia Newsome; Byrum Brown, QB, 6-3, 193, Raleigh (North Carolina) Rolesville; Jayson Littlejohn, TE, 6-4, 236, College of the Sequoias; Jackson Long, TE, 6-4, 216, Hendersonville (Tennessee) Beech; Cade Roberts, WR, 5-11, 184, South Walton; Gunnar Smith, QB, 6-4, 180, Lake Mary; Javohn Thomas, WR, 6-3, 190, Tampa Sickles; James Ash, DL, 6-3, 285, Wake Forest; Nick Bags, DL, 6-3, 300, Temple; Aamaris Brown, DB, 5-11, 188, Kansas State; DJ Gordon IV, LB, 6-1, 230, Minnesota; Clyde Pinder Jr., DL, 6-0, 300, North Carolina; Ray Thornton III, S, 6-1, 205, Clemson; Ajou Ajou, WR, 6-3, 220, Clemson; Derrell Bailey Jr., OL, 6-6, 296, Virginia Tech; Khafre Brown, WR, 6-0, 190, North Carolina; Michel Dukes, RB, 5-10, 198 Clemson; Mike Lofton, OL, 6-2, 300, UCF; Michael Williams III, DE, 6-3, 220, West Bloomfield (Mich.).
FAU
Carter Boatwright, TE, 6-4, 240, Florida State; Justin Goodwin, DL, 6-3, 280, Birmingham (Alabama) Huffman; Jymetre Hester, WR, 5-10, 170, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC; Jahbari Hill, CB, 6-1, 187, Boynton Beach Atlantic Community; Morven Joseph, OLB, 6-2, 220, Tennessee; Okino King, OL, 6-2, 298, Miami Northwestern; Jaleel McRae, ILB, 6-2, 230, Florida State; Xavier Peters, OLB, 6-4, 255, Garden City CC; Jamie Pettway, ILB, 6-2, 235 Missouri; Brandon Schabert, WR, 6-2, 205, Delray American Heritage; Marvin Scott III, RB, 5-9, 205, Nebraska; Wyatt Sullivan, WR, 6-4, 198, Quincy Robert F. Munroe Day; Jaylen Wester, OLB, 6-0, 200, Palmetto; Brendan Bordner, OL, 6-5, 205, Rutgers; Jayshon Platt, WR, 6-1, 170, Venice; Marquish Seabon, RB, 5-10, 190, Lake Wales; Kareem Wilson, DL, 6-4, 250, Gulliver Prep; Michael Boone, CB, 6-0, 185, Tampa Bay Tech; Dearis Thomas, LB, 6-1, 223, Naples; A’Ceon “Ace” Cobb, WR, 6-3, 195, Orlando Jones.
FAMU
Jalen Armstrong, OL, Copiah-Lincoln Community College; Dariyon Weeden, OL, Cisco College; Isaiah Major, LB, Independence Community College; Kareem Burke, WR, 6-0, 165, Jacksonville Raines; Jeremy Moussa, QB, 6-3, 225, Vanderbilt; Lamar Mullins, DB, 6-3, 205, Tulsa University; Michael Watson II, LB, 6-4, 220, Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia); Jordan Moore, DB, 5-11, 210, Kilgore College.
Bethune-Cookman
Jalen Jackson, ATH, 6-0, 170, Potomac Falls (Virginia); Ontavious Carolina, ATH, 6-3, 209, Colquitt (Georgia); Jaquan Haynes, ATH, 5-10, 160, Plantation; Frank Wilson, DL, 6-4, 260, SIU Charter School (Illinois); Isaiah Williams, ATH, 6-0, 191, Karen Wagner (San Antonio, Texas); Jeremiah Connelly, 5-9, 180, Orlando Edgewater; Daymon Polite, DB, 6-0, 160, Dougherty (Albany, Georgia); Jerrold Plough, DB, 6-0, 180, Cisco Community College; Nebayne Moore, QB, 6-3, 205, Palmetto Prep (South Carolina); Rosendo Louis Jr., LB, 6-2, 245, Univesity of South Carolina (Deerfield Beach); Elias DeLeon, OL, 6-3, 310, Cisco Community College; Ge’Mon Eaford, LB, 6-1, 240, University of Oregon (Deerfield Beach); Akeem Hayes, WR, 5-10, 175, Arkansas State (Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna); Jalon Jones, QB, 6-4, 215, Mississippi Delta Community College.
