As UCF continues to focus on its future, the Knights added several key pieces to their 2026 recruiting class at the start of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.
UCF’s 2026 class ranked No. 92 in the latest 247Sports composite rankings.
Rocco Marriott, a 4-star quarterback from Missouri who committed before Thanksgiving week, headlines the group that includes six in-state prospects but also reached as far north as Massachusetts and as far west as Texas. Marriott is the highest-rated quarterback to sign with UCF in program history.
The Knights finished 14th among Big 12 schools, behind Texas Tech, BYU and Arizona but ahead of Colorado and Oklahoma State.
“Today went off without a hitch. I really liked the group that we got. It was a no-drama day,” coach Scott Frost said on Wednesday. “Everything was in and done early. This whole process has changed a lot since my last time here. Recruiting high school kids is a really important way to build the foundation of your team and get guys in the program who can help now or be developed into guys you hope to keep for a long time.”
Frost likes the vibe from the newcomers.
“We wanted guys that had traits that we think we can build into to make them better players than maybe where they’re ranked at,” he said. “If I had to point to one thing, if you look at the group, there’s a lot of size and length. We can get bigger. We certainly need to get a little tougher as a football team. But I like the size and length of a lot of these guys.”
Fab 5
QB Rocco Marriott, Platte County High School (Platte City, Mo.): The 6-foot-4, 210-pound dual-threat quarterback guided the Pirates to a 13-0 record and the championship game of the Missouri High School Class 5 playoffs. He’s accounted for more than 5,400 yards of total offense and 89 total touchdowns in his career.
QB Dante Carr, Minersville High School (Minersville, Pa.): Carr committed to UCF in June before leading the Battlin’ Miners to a 9-3 record this season. The dual-threat quarterback had 1,822 passing yards with 29 touchdowns while rushing for 1,396 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He capped his career with 9,426 total yards and 136 total touchdowns.
DE Alhassan Iddrissu, St. Thomas More High School (Oakdale, Conn.): The 6-6 Iddrissu is the No. 1 player in Connecticut who committed to the Knights in June. Originally from Ghana, he started out playing basketball before switching to football while at Modesto (Calif.) Christian High School.
UCF has received a verbal commitment from 4-star quarterback Rocco Marriott for its 2026 recruiting class. Marriott committed before Thanksgiving week and headlines a group that includes five in-state prospects, but also reached as far North as Massachusetts and as far West as Texas. (Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics)
ATH Kaj Baker, Somerset Academy Charter (Pembroke Pines): Baker is a multi-talented threat, playing on both offense and defense for the Panthers throughout his varsity career. He accounted for 1,022 rushing yards and 516 receiving yards with 15 total touchdowns while accounting for 30 solo tackles this season.
LB Preston Hall, Ridge Point High School (Missouri City, Texas): Hall comes from a football family, with his father playing fullback for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL and his brother playing linebacker at UTSA. He finished with 73 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 2 sacks while helping the Panthers to an 11-1 mark this season.
The rest
OT Kasiyah Charlton, Brunswick High School (Brunswick, Ga.)
RB Arthur Lewis IV, Bartram Trail High School (St. Johns)
CB Elijah Keys, Duncan U. Fletcher High School (Neptune Beach)
LB Matthew Occhipinti, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
DL Noah Mercer, Key West High School (Key West)
TE Brooks Hall, Platte County High School (Platte City, Mo.)
OT Amahn Williams, Tabor Academy (Marion, Mass.)
CB Amarion Queen, Martin County High School (Stuart)
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