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Frost: 'Right Guys' in UCF's Receiving Room to Be Special
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- Frost: 'Right Guys' in UCF's Receiving Room to Be Special
(IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters Connect)
While UCF's new starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III has gotten a lot of attention, and rightfully so, the Knights have sneakily formed a dangerous wide receiving corps.
The talent varies throughout UCF's room, with speedsters like Duane Thomas Jr. and Josh Derry , and young breakout candidates like Tyren Hornes and Waden Charles attacking opposing defenses.
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On Monday, head coach Scott Frost addressed the depth in the room, while saying there is still plenty of room for improvement.
"It hasn't been good enough yet through camp, but I know it's going to be and we keep pushing those guys. We ask a lot of them," Frost said. "We ask them to run a lot, know a lot, motion a lot, be ready to play tempo a lot. You know, they're in really good shape right now."
Frost's offense has always utilized pre-snap motion and multi-positioned players to keep defenses off balanced.
These players definitely have the talent and experience to do so, with Charles and Thomas entering their second seasons under Frost.
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As a true freshman, Charles hauled in 26 receptions for 290 yards, making a big impact later in the season.
On senior night, Charles posted a career-high six receptions for 78 yards.
In the following week against BYU , Charles had 50 yards on four catches. Throughout the season, he averaged 11.2 yards per reception, a promising sign for such a young talent.
Entering his sophomore campaign, Charles has talked about taking the next step as a leader within the locker room.
"Probably from the end of last season, people started looking at me as more of a leader because of the role I was taking as a young guy and just the trust that my team had in me coming into this year, I knew that I had to step up and just make them plays that they want me to make and just lead by example as well," Charles said.
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Like the rest of the team, Charles emphasized the focus on getting better every day and focusing on the present.
Players like Hornes, who have immense talent and potential, will lean on Charles to learn the ropes of Frost's system.
Hailing from Booker High School in Sarasota, FL, Hornes burst onto the high school scene as a junior at the Under Armour All-American game.
One year later, he committed to UCF at the same event, eventually rising to the highest-ranked recruit in UCF history (No. 12 WR in 2026).
He has begun to turn heads at practice with impressive grabs and was praised by Frost for his "special" attributes.
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"He's just a really good athlete. I think he's got the upside to be a really special player and typical with guys like that, it's just how quick it clicks on and how fast they can be reliable and consistent," Frost said. "And he's certainly taken some huge strides. He's making some really good plays out there."
With the plethora of weapons in the WR room alongside star tight end Dylan Wade , UCF's offense should have much more firepower this upcoming season.
