The University of Central Florida football team continues to increase its footprint in the Sunshine State by getting a commitment from Nease tight end Grant Stevens and luring former Bartram Trail quarterback to transfer from Kentucky.
Eight of the Knights’ 11 commitments are from Florida.
Grant attended UCF’s high school camp this summer, and he quickly became a target for tight ends coach Brian Blackmon. Grant, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior, narrowed his list of likely destinations to UCF, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Coastal Carolina, FIU, Liberty and Arkansas State. Grant originally picked Coastal Carolina, but he recently changed his mind.
“It's pretty close to my home,” Stevens said. IIt's like a family-feel there. There's a great opportunity to go there and play and have a great career. I know they're just about to build the program with [head coach Gus] Malzahn and the whole staff there.”
Grant caught 40 passes for 502 yards and five touchdowns last year for the Panthers. Nease opened its new season with its Battle of the Bridge rivalry at Ponte Vedra on Friday night.
“[It’s] just a place where it would be like family going there,” Stevens said. “Somewhere I could see myself going, playing, and living there for the next three to four years.”
The Knights also got a commitment from quarterback Joey Gatewood. The Bartram Trail graduate spent two years at Auburn with Malzahn before transferring to Kentucky last year. Gatewood entered the transfer portal after Malzahn was hired as UCF’s new coach.
Gatewood, 6-5, 221, was rated as the No. 1 athlete in the country when he left high school. He was a four-star recruit who was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America game.
