Waden Charles showing flashes of a big future at UCF
When freshman wide receiver Waden Charles arrived at UCF this past January, he wasn’t thinking about a redshirt season or easing his way in. His mindset was simple: Get to work and find a way to contribute.
Now five games into the season, Charles is doing just that.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound South Florida native has started to carve out a role in UCF’s wide receiver rotation. He’s caught eight passes for 76 yards so far, including a season-best performance last Saturday against Kansas when he recorded three receptions for 34 yards.
“I came in just ready to work,” Charles said at Monday’s press conference. “Help this team win in any way I can. I’ve had a lot of help from everybody on the team and staff letting me know I can be a big piece of this program. Having that support system, my family and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, helped me get through this real smoothly these past ten months.”
Staying firm through coaching change
A former Rivals four-star prospect, Charles committed to Miami during his junior year before re-opening his recruitment ahead of the summer of 2024. He took official visits to Arkansas and UCF before ultimately choosing the Knights, signing during the December period even as the program was in the midst of a coaching transition.
Though Charles committed to the previous staff led by Gus Malzahn, he stayed firm with UCF through the change and joined the program just days before Scott Frost was officially hired.
“Yeah, I knew we had something good with Waden right away when I saw him in the spring,” Frost said. “He’s got a really bright future, and the more opportunities he gets, I think people will start to see the type of player that he can be.
“Anytime you’re a freshman, there’s peaks and valleys and you get impatient sometimes when you’re that age. But if you stay with it and you’re made of the right stuff, then things work out in the end. And I think that’s the path that he’s on.”
Veteran teammates provide guidance
Charles says veterans like Myles Montgomery, Duane Thomas Jr., Jacurri Brown, Cam Fancher and Tayven Jackson have helped him stay focused and confident.
“They’ve all been keeping me motivated, helping me,” Charles said. “Just allowing me to know to stay confident, keep working, keep my head down, just keep grinding.”
And now that he’s seen more action in recent weeks—he was on the field for almost every snap vs. Kansas—Charles says his confidence continues to grow.
“I feel better. I feel like I’m having more confidence as I’m in the game, seeing things differently, seeing how the defense reacts to certain things,” he said. “Seeing the angles I’ve got to take on certain blocks and the way I’ve got to run my routes. I feel like I’m getting more comfortable as we go through the season.”
South Florida roots bring competitive edge
Charles says playing wide receiver at this level comes down to confidence.
“Being from South Florida, it’s a chip on your shoulder,” he said. “Growing up with your friends playing in the backyard, always competing, everything we do is competitive. Just bringing that edge here to this team, and everybody being very competitive with each other and working hard every day, it helps you grow.”
Young receiver room building for the future
The Knights’ wide receiver room is full of youth and potential. Charles says he and fellow freshman Carl Jenkins Jr. are pushing each other daily. Jenkins had two catches for 21 yards vs. Kansas.
“That’s my boy CJ, man,” Charles said. “We came here together. We go to work every day. Anything he does, I’m going to do it. Anything I do, he’s going to do. We’re going to push each other to the limit every day.”
He also shouted out Bredell Richardson and Jordyn Bridgewater as future stars in the program.
“Everybody sees me and him (Jenkins), we’re going to be the future of this program,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of great guys, young guys in the room, that are going to be the future of this program.”
Most memorable early-season moment
Asked about his favorite moment of the season so far, Charles pointed to his first career catch—an important third-down conversion on a game-winning touchdown drive against Jacksonville State.
“I ran a dig route. I was the last read of progression. I caught it, kept the drive going. We ended up scoring,” he said. “That was like a great way to help spark my team and help us win that game.”
Favorite NFL receivers
Charles says he’s always been a receiver, though he played safety as well in high school, and grew up emulating NFL receivers DeSean Jackson and CeeDee Lamb.
“I love DeSean Jackson, his deep ball ability. I feel like he’s probably one of the best deep ball receivers ever to do it,” Charles said. “And I like watching CeeDee Lamb, he can run every route on the route tree.”
SIGN UP: Join the UCFSports.com Community for $1
Join the message board discussion with diehard UCF fans in The Dungeon
