UCF coach Scott Frost mines South Dade

If any team needs a great recruiting class, it’s UCF, which went 0-12 last season and has turned things over to 41-year-old Scott Frost, a first-year coach.

Frost, who was the starting quarterback for Nebraska’s 1997 national championship team that went undefeated, has made perhaps his biggest inroads at South Dade High, where he has commitments from a pair of standouts.

Leading the way — literally — is Boman Swanson, a 6-4, 275-pound offensive lineman who has served as the main blocker for South Dade running back Jawon Hamilton.

UCF, which had no runner gain more than 377 yards last season, also has a commitment from Hamilton, who ran for 1,259 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2015.

Overall, UCF has 12 commitments, including one player who has already signed — junior college offensive lineman Christian Beard.

Rivals.com ranks UCF’s class No. 100 nationally.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC

After finishing 3-9 in each of his first two seasons on the job, FAU coach Charlie Partridge is looking for help everywhere. Toward that end, the Owls, whose class is ranked No. 89 nationally, have 18 commitments, including seven from South Florida.

Among those local players is St. Thomas Aquinas running back James Charles, who could make a quick impact.

At quarterback, the Owls have a commitment from 6-4, 220-pound Steven Frank, who is from the Chicago area.

A pro-style quarterback, Frank passed for 1,783 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a senior. He also ran for 609 yards and 14 TDs, leading his team to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Class 8A state quarterfinals.

As a side note, Frank is a triplet along with his sisters Lauren and Melissa.

SOUTH FLORIDA

In his third year with the team, coach Willie Taggart broke the Bulls’ streak of four consecutive losing seasons, finishing 8-5 and leading South Florida to a berth in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl.

To date, the Bulls have 15 commitments, including two four-star recruits: Miami Central wide receiver Darnell Salomon and St. Petersburg defensive back Craig Watts.

Taggart has targeted defensive end as an area of immediate need, and he has commitments from three junior-college players at that position, including two who have already signed.

Salomon, a 6-2, 205-pounder with 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, can be an immediate star. If he signs with USF, Salomon figures to catch passes from another local standout, former Miami Jackson quarterback Quinton Flowers.

Another recruit to watch is 5-11, 215-pound running Elijah Mack, an inside runner who compares himself in style to Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks .

USF has a commitment from dual-threat quarterback Chris Oladokum, who figures to learn behind the 6-0, 210-pound Flowers. Perhaps Oladokum, who is 6-0 and 160 pounds, can get stronger over time and become similar to Flowers in terms of style and production.

ELSEWHERE

Florida A&M, which went 1-10 last season in the first year under coach Alex Wood, would seem to have more work to do on the recruiting trail than rival Bethune-Cookman, which went 9-2 under first-year coach Terry Sims. No commitments have been posted for either school, however.

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "UCF coach Scott Frost mines South Dade."