In late December, Gus Malzahn’s UCF football team notched its highest-ranked recruiting class in school history. The Knights’ 2024 haul includes six Georgia natives, all of whom were highly regarded on the gridiron.
Grayson High School teammates Waltclaire Flynn Jr. and Kylan Fox are UCF’s highest-rated commits from the Peach State. The duo was instrumental in Grayson’s semifinals run this season, which included an upset win over a talented Buford squad in the quarterfinals.
Fox hauled in 7 touchdown passes to accompany nearly 400 receiving yards in 2023. Flynn started several seasons with the Rams, and his consistency earned him a bid to this year’s All-American Bowl. He also was the first Georgia player to commit to UCF in this football recruiting cycle, making his sustained commitment all the more valuable.
One of UCF’s two quarterbacks in the 2024 class hails from Georgia: Cedar Grove’s EJ Colson. Colson reclassified from 2025 and has chosen to enroll in Orlando this upcoming summer. With the Saints, Colson won the 2023 3A state title and posted over 6,500 yards of total offense in just 29 starts. He also accounted for 74 touchdowns in his illustrious Cedar Grove career.
Another important pickup came by way of a commitment flip. Troup County linebacker Qua Birdsong originally chose Cincinnati, but flipped to UCF in early July. The Tiger racked up 63 tackles and added 5 tackles for loss in his senior season, helping an injury-riddled squad to a second-round playoff berth. He also forced 2 fumbles and intercepted a pass.
The last two Georgia commits for the 2024 class play on rival squads. Westlake and Langston Hughes faced off in classic battles in 2020 and 2021, and both matchups featured future Power 5 starters on the defensive side of the football.
While the two squads did not play in 2022 or 2023, the defensive talent still shines. Defensive backs Christian Peterson (Westlake) and Jakob Gude (Hughes) will now star as teammates in the black and gold. Peterson played on both sides of the ball as a senior, catching 4 touchdown passes while intercepting 2 passes defensively. Gude, a transfer from Sandy Creek, underwent surgery after six games this year, limiting his statistical totals. The Four-Star safety still managed a pick-six and 46 tackles in that span, though.
These six Georgia natives join 12 others in the best UCF football class in school history. The Knights enter the offseason fresh off a 30-17 loss to Georgia Tech in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Under Malzahn, hopes are high for this signing class to lead UCF to a Big 12 championship in the near future.
