Back to the Orlando City SC Newsfeed

Coach Gus Malzahn pulls in Apopka DB Nikai Martinez, who has committed to UCF

Martinez, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback at Apopka High, committed to UCF on Friday and said new head coach Gus Malzahn was the biggest reason why.

UCF’s hiring of Malzahn swayed Martinez considerably, as did the move of his former Florida recruiter Torrian Gray, the former Gators’ cornerbacks coach who left UF in January. Gray joined the new staff of Shane Beamer at South Carolina.

Apopka 2022 cornerback Nikai Martinez has committed to UCF.
Apopka 2022 cornerback Nikai Martinez has committed to UCF. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

That move prompted Martinez to look more closely at the Gamecocks, but once Malzahn was on board in Orlando, the Knights took control.