UCF moved quickly to fill a secondary hole that suddenly arose in the 2025 freshman recruiting class, acquiring a prized cornerback from Wisconsin on Monday afternoon.
Tampa Bay Tech junior Rukeem Stroud verbally committed to the Knights within 48 hours of receiving his scholarship offer. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Stroud was ranked 41st overall by the USA Today Florida Network in the top 100 players in the state.
On Saturday night, the Knights found themselves at the disadvantage of a shifting commitment when Cedartown, Georgia, native Demarcus Gardner left the team to join Kentucky as a rookie.
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Stroud said he'd long considered UCF his “dream school” and that the coveted opportunity had catapulted the Knights to the top of his list. He said in a phone interview with The News-Journal that player recruiting has “completely stopped” and that he plans to schedule official visits during the season.
“This moment is real,” Stroud said. “I'm happy and excited. It's close to home and I'm excited to be a part of something like this. They're really building something special.”
“I had a long discussion with my parents, but knowing that UCF was my dream school and it was close to home made it easier.”
Stroud had 17 throws and six interceptions as a junior at Tampa Bay Tech, where he is teammate with fellow Knights commit Santonio Isaac. He recorded personal best track times in the 100-meter sprint (10.75 seconds) and 200-meter sprint (21.94 seconds) this spring.
Stroud is the No. 37 cornerback recruit in the country and the No. 441 player overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Andrew Ivins, director of scouting for 247Sports, described Stroud as a “potential cover specialist.”
“He's a long guy with proven foot speed from his track times, but he's undersized, and that's his big problem,” Ivins said. “If you watch his junior film, he's a guy who plays through the hands and makes takeaways. He was always impressive on the camp circuit against bigger wide receivers. He could be a multi-year contributor at the Power 4 level. It'll take him a few years to get his size in shape, but he definitely has some attributes to work on.”
UCF has issued 10 verbal commits for the Class of 2025, including Stroud, and a handful of other top undecided targets are expected to announce their choices over the next two weeks. St. Augustine wide receiver Carl Jenkins Jr. and Vero Beach cornerback RJ Jones III will announce Saturday, followed by Cocoa wide receiver Jayvan Boggs and Roswell (Ga.) offensive lineman Andrew Stargel on July 4 and Mainland defensive tackle Christian Hudson on July 6.
