LOCKED IN: Apopka's Kaven Call, committed since Christmas 2021, leads UCF signing class

APOPKA — National Signing Day provides drama, twists and turns for some of the nation's top high school football prospects.

In the case of Kaven Call, one of Florida's finest defensive ends, Wednesday's festivities were merely a formality, nearly a year in the making.

Call, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound edge rusher from Class 4M runner-up Apopka, committed to UCF on Christmas Day 2021. At the time, he was the Knights' earliest verbal commitment in program history, a mark since broken by 2024-commit Sincere Edwards from nearby Wekiva.

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Early commitments happen all the time; they stick at an increasingly rare rate, especially when it's not to an established college football blueblood. But Call decided at the outset UCF offered everything he wanted.

"They checked all the boxes," Call said this week. "Going to the Big 12. Family goes there. Close to home. Love the coaching staff and what Coach Gus (Malzahn) is trying to do.

"I was done from there."

According to Rivals, Call last visited a school other than UCF on July 25, 2021 — an unofficial trip to Auburn before the start of his junior year. He also visited Georgia and Georgia Tech earlier that summer, two schools that made the cut for his top-six list last December along with Mississippi State, Penn State, Rutgers and, of course, UCF.

Then the Knights famously defeated Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl, a result that deeply resonated with Call. Two days later, he locked in his commitment.

"I thought, 'Why not play for the best team in Florida in UCF?' I see they have something going," Call said. "Coach Gus, his plan is really being put in and I see them really turning things around. … Once I saw that, I told him I wanted to be a part of that plan."

First emerging as a freshman when he lined up alongside soon-to-be NFL draft pick Jalen Carter, Call turned in a strong senior season at Apopka and helped the Blue Darters reach a second-consecutive state championship game. He made 53 tackles (28 solo) with nine tackles for loss and a team-high nine sacks.

"He's gotten better every year. He's physical, strong and can run," Blue Darters head coach Jeff Rolson said.

"They're getting a versatile kid at the end of the line of scrimmage. He can put his hand in the dirt or he can stand up and rush the passer. He's a high-character kid who is going to give them everything effort-wise. He's a pillar of our program, and will be a pillar of theirs, too. He knows what's right, and he does what's right."

The No. 3 player in the Orlando Sentinel's most recent Super 60 list for the graduating class of 2023, Call is one of several local high school standouts who will put pen to paper with UCF this week. Osceola four-star defensive lineman John Walker (6-3, 310) will be the highest-ranked recruit in program history, Eustis wide receiver Tyree Patterson flipped his commitment from Florida on Monday and Boone's Grant Reddick is regarded as one of the country's top kickers.

Lake Mary defensive back Braeden Marshall remained committed to the Knights as of Monday evening, though he spent last weekend at Auburn on an official visit. Lake Brantley twin four-star linebackers Andrew and Michael Harris, on the other hand, announced their decommitments Sunday night.

Call will enroll in January, though he's unlikely to participate in this week's practices ahead of the Military Bowl due to Apopka's deep playoff run. When he arrives on campus next month, however, he'll hit the ground running.

"They're going to get everything out of me — running to the ball, giving effort every play," Call said. "I'm fierce. I'm relentless. I'll run through somebody."