4-star LB Qua Birdsong commits to UCF Knights

Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County four-star linebacker Qua Birdsong had a feeling that UCF might be home after taking an official visit to Orlando in May. A former Cincinnati pledge, Birdsong backed off of that commitment on June 15 to reopen his recruitment.

On Sunday afternoon he shut it down again as he announced his commitment to the Knights over the Bearcats.

“Everybody already knows Coach Gus (Malzahn) and that they’re going to have a great season,” Birdsong told On3. “It’s a winning program and a few years ago they went 12-0. Coach Gus is doing a lot of good things at UCF and I want to be a part of it.

“They want to win, everyone gets along and the program is full of good people.”

UCF’s move to the Big 12 is something that Birdsong admits also drew him to the program. The tendency for Big 12 programs to be pass-heavy is something Birdsong likes as he considers himself more of a pass-rusher.

Even with all of that in mind, Birdsong said that deciding between Cincinnati and UCF was one of the hardest decision’s he’s ever had to make. In the end though the Knights had a few more factors that ultimately pulled Birdsong their way.

One of those factors was linebackers coach Ernie Sims.

“Coach Sims is a really good guy and a mentor,” said Birdsong, the No. 377 player in the 2024 class. “He’s a great person that I want to be coached by both on and off of the field. I trust him and he played a big role in my recruitment.”

With this decision, Birdsong said he’s shutting down in his recruitment and is all in on building up this 2024 class for the Knights.

Birdsong’s pledge makes him the ninth commitment in UCF’s 2024 recruiting class and third four-star commit. A majority of that class has been built in the last month including the two other four-star pledges in running back Stacy Gage and interior offensive lineman Waltclaire Flynn Jr..

While the class currently sits just inside the top-50, Birdsong said it’s far from finished.

“This whole July 4th week and weekend there’s going to be commitments coming nonstop,” said Birdsong. “It’s a big, big time coming up.”