Taevion Swint, the dynamic Kissimmee Osceola senior working again who dedicated to UCF in April of final yr, stated Saturday he stays dedicated to the Knights regardless of information that head coach Gus Malzahn had stepped down.
“I don’t have any ideas. It’s nonetheless the identical mindset,” Swint stated, reached shortly after the information had surfaced that Malzahn had determined to tackle the offensive coordinator place at Florida State and reuniting him with FSU coach Mike Norvell.
Malzahn and Norvell have been assistants on the identical workers beneath Todd Graham at Tulsa in 2007. Graham is presently an analyst for TCU.
Swint professing his need to stay dedicated is essential to UCF’s 2025 recruiting class, with early Nationwide Signing Day looming in simply 4 days. Previously month, UCF has misplaced seven beforehand dedicated gamers, with Warner Robbins (Ga.) Northside offensive sort out Chastan Brown becoming a member of that record Saturday.
Sure, Swint stated he’s nonetheless dedicated, but it surely nonetheless leaves the lingering query about simply how dedicated he stays. He has by no means hidden the truth that his favourite faculty soccer staff has at all times been FSU since he was a teenager. He typically wears FSU gloves throughout video games.
Swint talked about his being an huge fan of FSU soccer final spring.
“They provided me. They have been like my fifth or sixth supply,” Swint stated. “It was very arduous. I ain’t gonna lie. Once I first received that, I used to be going to commit proper there, that first day. However I waited it out and me and my mother and my dad, we talked about it,” Swint stated.
“I used to be youthful then, like a sophomore. So I simply waited and that’s when UCF got here round and I fell in love with it. It’s proper close to my hometown, on the outskirts of Kissimmee/Orlando, so it’s proper down the street.”
With Malzahn becoming a member of the Seminoles, it’s cheap to suppose that the ‘Noles recruiters could attempt to sway the 5-foot-9, 185-pound 4-star runner. Swint is the highest-ranked UCF commit and solely one among two 4-star gamers on UCF’s record, in accordance with 247Sports, becoming a member of Miami Central defensive again Tony Williams.
“It didn’t budge me one bit,” Swint stated of Malzahn’s information.
Swint, who missed most of final season with a torn ACL and has battled a shoulder harm this season, has been spectacular as a senior, and has turned it on lately because the Kowboys stay alive within the hunt for a Class 6A state title. Osceola (11-2), the No. 4 seed, will play at No. 2 Gainesville Buchholz (9-3) within the state semifinals on Friday.
This season Swint has rushed for 1,589 yards and 24 touchdowns in 13 video games.
UCF has 12 commitments left on its record, and a staff that was as soon as ranked within the High 50 within the 247Sports rankings has dropped to No. 69 total and final within the 16-team Massive 12.
One participant UCF followers will certainly wish to keep watch over is 3-star commit Jayvan Boggs, a top-notch receiver at Cocoa. Boggs has already been dedicated to Ohio State and Missouri at factors throughout his highschool profession. He dedicated to UCF in August. Boggs has greater than 1,600 yards receiving this season.
Boggs and Cocoa, together with fellow UCF commit and offensive lineman Jaques Joiner, are additionally nonetheless concerned on the state playoffs. Cocoa (9-3), searching for a three-peat state crown this yr, is the No. 3 seed in Class 2A and faces No. 2 Cardinal Mooney (12-0) on Friday.
Chris Hays may be discovered on X @OS_ChrisHays.