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Is UCF football the team to beat for 4-star LB brothers?

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 2, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights head coach Gus Malzahn looks on during warms up before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights head coach Gus Malzahn looks on during warms up before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is UCF football the new team to beat for a couple of four-star linebacker brothers who are down to three schools with a July 6 decision approaching?

The terms “four-star commit” and “UCF football” don’t exactly go hand-in-hand.

But Gus Malzahn is trying to change that.

The second-year UCF head coach went 9-4 in his first season with the program and it feels like he’s building the Knights back into perennial contenders in the AAC after losing Josh Heupel to Tennessee before the 2021 season and Scott Frost before him.

And he’s close to landing his two highest-ranked commits as UCF’s head coach.

According to a new prediction on 247Sports from Andrew Ivins who is a Southeast Recruiting Analyst for the site, both Andrew and Michael Harris are close to landing with the Knights.

The twin linebackers in the 2023 class released their top three schools on Wednesday, according to an exclusive interview with USA Today, which included Michigan State, Maryland, and UCF. Ivins believes that UCF is the team to beat for the twins as they may look to stay close to their Altamonte Springs, Fla., home.

Michigan State is rumored to be the biggest threat to UCF here as they really enjoyed their visit to East Lansing but the draw to stay home is pretty strong.

The brothers, who are both linebackers and track stars, are both four-stars; Michael is ranked the No. 138 overall recruit and 11th-best linebacker in the class while Andrew is the No. 96 overall recruit and ninth-best linebacker, according to 247Sports.

If Malzahn is able to land them, I could see a lot of other top prospects buying into what he’s selling in Orlando.

Do I see UCF as the team to beat? I have no inside info other than what the crystal ball says, but I’m not counting Mel Tucker and MSU out just yet. The Spartans have been recruiting at an elite level in this class and they could join a legit national title contender (within the next few years).

Right now, I’ll go with 60/40 chance they end up at UCF but that could change this weekend.

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