2025 ATH Caden Piening commits to UCF

Cincinnati Anderson three-star athlete Caden Piening has committed to UCF, he announced on Saturday afternoon.

He chose the Golden Knights while also holding offers from Florida, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kentucky and others.

Piening is the No. 683 overall prospect and No. 45 ATH in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 23 player in Ohio.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Piening, who can play tight end and defensive end, makes eight commitments for Gus Malzahn and Co. in the 2025 class. He’s the first member of the class that does not hail from Florida or Georgia.

UCF owns top class in the Big 12

Peining is the second commitment in April for UCF, as he follows Covington (Ga.) Newton three-star defensive lineman Ryshawn Perry, who committed on April 7. The Knights also landed a pair of pledges in March in the form of Palm Beach (Fla.) Central four-star safety Tony Williams and Cedartown (Ga.) three-star athlete Demarcus Gardner.

The April additions have UCF sitting with the No. 18 class in the nation and the top-ranked class in the Big 12, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central four-star safety Kendarius Reddick announced a surprise flip of his commitment from Auburn to UCF on Feb. 3. The 6-foot, 165-pounder is a top-50 prospect in the 2025 On300.

“The way everyone looked at me as family as soon as I stepped foot in the facility. It just made me feel more at home,” Reddick told On3’s Hayes Fawcett upon flipping his commitment.

Reddick continues to be flanked by top recruits, including Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star running back Taevion Swint, Williams, Tampa Bay Tech three-star wide receiver Santonyo Isaac and Cocoa (Fla.) three-star offensive lineman Jaquez Joiner.

Swint is the No. 237 overall recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking and is also the No. 16 burner in the 2025 cycle. He committed in April 2023.