UCF’s recruiting surge kept rolling with another major addition, as coach Johnny Dawkins landed a commitment from four-star center Bol Kuany.
At 7-foot-2, Kuany gives the Knights a massive interior piece to build around next season. He’ll join fellow 7-footer John Bol in the frontcourt, and both players are from South Sudan, a connection that could have played a role in Kuany’s decision.
Kuany becomes the third recruit to commit to UCF in the last two weeks, following Jacoby Briscoe and Deuce McDuffie. He picked the Knights over Virginia Tech, NC State and Texas A&M.
Ranked 51st in the 2027 cycle, Kuany began his high school career at Huntington Prep in West Virginia before transferring to Utah Prep.
Dawkins is piecing together a recruiting class that’s starting to look serious on both ends of the floor. McDuffie, a shooting guard at Monarch Academy in Kansas City, Kansas, said the coaching staff believed in him and saw his potential during his official visit.
Briscoe, Virginia’s No. 2-ranked player, averaged 14 points per game last season for The St. James Academy and showed improvement as a 3-point shooter.
With McDuffie and Briscoe on the way in the backcourt and Kuany added up front, Dawkins has filled out key parts of the roster picture while UCF sits at 3-0.
The Knights have also gotten big production from Dior Johnson, who earned the Luke Olsen National Player of the Week Award after scoring 69 points in the first two games against Florida Gulf Coast and Yale.
Johnson’s scoring has come with plenty of variety. Defenders have had a hard time dealing with the different counters he’s developed over his career. It starts with a quick first step that gets him downhill, and when defenders take away the lane, he can use a rhythm dribble to get to his mid-range pull-up or create space with a stepback for three.
UCF’s third win came against South Alabama, with Carmelo Pacheco turning in a career-high 24 points alongside Johnson.
Dawkins was also in the mix for another four-star prospect, Jeremy Jenkins Jr., before he committed to Georgia Tech. Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports’ director of scouting, described Jenkins as a player with a developing inside-out game, positional size and length, a 6-foot-11 wingspan and the ability to start the fast break off a rebound.
Landing three four-star recruits in a two-week stretch is a strong sign for a UCF program looking to stack up another NCAA Tournament run.
In Other News...
UCF Heads Into Arizona State With A Backfield Problem To Solve
UCF is heading into its trip to Arizona State with a backfield issue it has to sort out, and the timing is not ideal. Duke Watson will miss the game because of injury, leaving the Knights to adjust their running game on the fly as they prepare for a road matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
The injury report does not stop there, either. Tyler Gibson, DJ Bell, Kahmel Johnson, Demari Henderson and Dylan Burk are also out, while several others are still listed as questionable or probable. Waden Charles is doubtful with an undisclosed injury, adding another layer of uncertainty to a UCF offense that may have to lean on depth and quick answers to get through the week. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Just Delivered The Kind Of Road Win Fans Have Been Waiting For
For a team that had been fighting through self-inflicted mistakes on the road, the trip to Kansas offered a cleaner version of UCF football. The Knights played with noticeably better communication and leaned on veteran leadership to keep things under control, and the result was the kind of disciplined performance that had been missing away from home.
The most striking part was how little the officials had to call on the Knights, a sign the operation finally looked organized from start to finish. Just as important, the win ended a long slide in road games and gave UCF a much-needed proof point that the problems that had followed it away from Orlando can be corrected. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs Unbeaten Start Comes With A Riley Kugel Concern
UCFs 3-0 start has given the Knights plenty to feel good about, but Riley Kugels early-season shooting has been one of the few uneasy spots in an otherwise clean opening stretch. The senior guard arrived with a reputation built on a strong previous season and a stint with the Los Angeles Clippers Summer League team, so there was reason to expect him to be a steady scoring option right away.
Instead, Kugel has been working through a rough start as he adjusts to his new role. He is averaging five points per game and has yet to find a rhythm from deep, which leaves a little more pressure on the upcoming schedule as UCF looks to keep rolling. For now, the Knights can afford patience, but Kugels place in the starting lineup will be something to watch if the shot does not come around soon. [Read more 🡒]