4-star twin brothers Ja'Cari and Demari Henderson commit to UCF
Sanford (Fla.) Seminole brothers Ja’Cari Henderson and Demari Henderson have found their collegiate home. And that’s good news for UCF, which landed commitments from each of the twin brothers on Monday. The pair chose the Knights over Miami and Florida, which made the duo’s top three schools list in early October.
Both are ranked in the 2022 On300. Ja’Cari, a cornerback, checks in at No. 130, while Demari, a safety, is the No. 250 player in the class. The commitments give UCF three players in the On300, with the brothers joining Brooklet (Ga.) New Southeast Bulloch athlete Tyler Griffin.
Shortly after the Hendersons announced their commitments, UCF first-year head coach Guz Malzahn tweeted “DOUBLE BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #ChargeOn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #StateOfOrlando!!!!!”
Ja’Cari and Demari Henderson are playmakers
One of Malzahn’s biggest priorities since taking over in Orlando has been increasing the talent level after former head coach Josh Heupel largely struggled to do so. Adding playmakers in secondary is a big part of that, and the Hendersons fit the bill.
This season, Ja’Cari has totaled 19 tackles, an interception and two touchdowns, while Demari has been credited with 20 tackles, three interceptions and two touchdowns of his own.
As a junior, Demari notched 37 tackles and three interceptions, and Ja’Cari added 36 tackles of his own, as well as one interception. They join high school teammate Kam Moore, a linebacker, in the Knights’ 2022 class after Moore committed to Malzahn and Co. in August.
With the pair of commitments, UCF now has 15 players pledged for the 2022 cycle, and the Knights’ now rank No. 37 in the class rankings and No. 2 in the AAC behind only Cincinnati.
As UCF prepares to join the Big 12 in the next few years, adding talent like the Hendersons will be a must for Malzahn to be competitive in that league. It appears he’s off to a pretty good start so far.