Dec. 17, 2010
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFathletics.com) - Whereas some schools recruited Jeff Godfrey as a wide receiver or a defensive back, UCF held firm to the thought that one of Florida's all-time best high school quarterbacks could play quarterback at the college level.
Now, after Godfrey won the Conference USA Freshman of the Year award and helped the Knights win a C-USA title in his first season on campus, the Knights are basking in the glory of that fateful decision this time a year ago.
``Everybody evaluates players as to what fits in their program, but in my mind and heart there was never any doubt or question that this kid was going to be a special talent at the quarterback position someday,'' said UCF assistant head coach David Kelly, who was the most responsible for the recruitment of Godfrey. ``Sometimes you hit and sometimes you don't. This particular case so far, our presumptions have been correct.''
Have they ever? Despite playing his first games ever at the college level, Godfrey was with some elite company this season.
Godfrey ranks eighth in the nation in passing efficiency at 165.28, trailing only seven elite quarterbacks who have all had teams ranked in the top-10 this year (Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, Kellen Moore, Ryan Mallett, Scott Tolzien, Andy Dalton, Greg McElroy and Andrew Luck). Godfrey's completion percentage of 68.4 percent ranks sixth nationally and is not far off of the NCAA freshman record of 69.4 percent set by Boise State's Kellen Moore in 2008.
Godfrey, who recorded a 9-2 record as a starter and was 8-1 against C-USA foes, also ran for 546 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The 10 rushing TDs trail only Nebraska's Taylor Martinez amongst all freshmen QBs nationally and tops all true freshmen.
In leading UCF to the C-USA title, Godfrey became the first true freshman quarterback to ever win a FBS conference championship game. Also, his completion percentage of 78.9 percent is the second-best ever in a championship game, trailing only the 82.4 percent mark posted by Texas' Vince Young in the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game.
Godfrey said he hasn't paid much attention to the awards he's won and the records he's eclipsed. But with a win against Georgia in the Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl, Godfrey said he would then be able to look back at his freshman season as the ultimate success.
``I don't pay too much attention to it. I just want to keep going,'' he said. ``Hopefully at the end when my name is on all of the stats and broken records, that's where I will be. But I'm not too concerned about what I have accomplished so far.''
Neither is Kelly, who spent the better part of five years recruiting Godfrey on various levels. He saw Godfrey thrive as a youth on the Optimist League levels and ultimately become Miami-Dade County's all-time leading prep passer. And Kelly held true to the belief that Godfrey could overcome his size limitations - he's 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds - and thrive at quarterback even though others shied away from him. Kelly said that Godfrey's ``it factor'' led him to believe the kid was special even though others had their doubts.
``Nothing that that kid does surprises me because he's been performing at that level since he started playing quarterback when he was five years old,'' Kelly said. ``As he always says, `Just follow me, I've been here before,' in his mind he has because he's always been on this stage. He's been on that elevated stage his entire life and he's been prepped to be an outstanding quarterback his entire life. So that's why you see him play with the poise that he possesses as a true freshman.
``When I was at Duke University and he was in the eighth grade and I told him, `Hey, bro, I don't know where I'll be five years from now, but wherever I am I'm coming back to get you,''' Kelly continued. ``It was obvious to me at that time that the kid had that something special and that ``it'' factor that you can't teach. That's what we're all seeing now.''
Godfrey, a Freshman All-American by some publications and the first Knight be C-USA's Freshman of the Year since Kevin Smith in 2005, said he's hoping to use the time between now and the bowl game to improve himself. He's already looking ahead to the future and hopes to leave UCF someday as the most successful quarterback in school history.
So the quarterback sees no better way to cap his first year on campus than beating a traditional SEC powerhouse in Georgia and winning UCF's first-ever bowl game.
``It's really cool playing an SEC school, but we're trying to treat it like any other game. We're onto the next game, we'll play our hearts out and hopefully we'll get a bowl win,'' Godfrey said. ``The extra time is great and it gives us a chance to break down our opponent and take advantage of what they do. (Winning) would mean a lot for me and my teammates to win this first bowl game and to beat a SEC team.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.