UCF, USF, FAMU load up on the line

[Brad]

UCF, USF, FAMU load up on the line

BY PETE PELEGRINppelegrin@miamiherald.com

The trend for the other state universities outside south Florida on national signing day was an emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines.

Nearly half or more of the signees from Central Florida, South Florida and Florida A&M were either offensive or defensive linemen.

Coming off a season in which they snapped a 17-game losing streak and reached their first bowl game (Hawaii Bowl), the Golden Knights signed 10 linemen among their 21 signees on Wednesday.

''I think the key to any good recruiting class is that you go after your needs as a program and that is exactly what we did with this class,'' said UCF coach George O'Leary. ``We brought in a number of defensive linemen, which was a necessity for our program.''

The Golden Knights signed seven defensive linemen, three wide receivers, three offensive linemen, two tight ends, two linebackers, one running back, one quarterback, one defensive back and one athlete.

Two south Florida prep players inked with Central Florida: Hialeah defensive end Rashidi Haughton and Miramar Parkway receiver Keith Houston.

USF

South Florida took 15 linemen (10 defensive and five offensive) among the 28 players signing with the Bulls.

The lure of being in a BCS conference -- the Big East -- was an attraction to some signees.

''A big reason I'm going [to USF] is that they're in the Big East,'' said Alwan Lee, a Miami Booker T. Washington quarterback who signed with the Bulls. ``They can play in a BCS bowl; they play on TV and they play top schools.''

Lee was one of three south Florida high schoolers to commit to USF. Lee's teammate at Booker T., defensive end Joseph Jackson and Central linebacker Sabbath Joseph were the other two.

FAMU

Florida A&M coach Rubin Carter, who just completed his first season at FAMU, was pleased with his first recruiting class.

''I feel we reaped some real dividends in our recruiting,'' Carter said. ``We were able to address some of our glaring needs at quarterback, the offensive line and in every aspect of our defense. In our recruiting, we were able to establish and in some cases, re-establish contact with high schools around the state and area.''

Allen Bruce, a 5-10 defensive back from Miami Edison High, was the lone south Florida signee for the Rattlers.

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