In the realm of UCF’s 2026 football recruiting class, quarterback commits Kane Archer and Dante Carr have earned recognition for their stellar performances last week under the Friday night lights.
Archer, the four-star commit for the Greenwood Bulldogs in Arkansas, earned the Lindsey’s Male Athlete of the Week on Thursday for his clutch display against the Har-Ber Wildcats in a 43-42 shootout victory last Friday.
He displayed a level of dominance in both the throwing and running game. Archer completed 23 of 29 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns. While completing almost 80% of his passes, his solo run game elevated his performance to earn such recognition. He rushed 20 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns, raising his totals to 437 yards and five touchdowns.
The four-star recruit brought the Bulldogs closer to victory with a clutch short-yardage run into the end zone to bring his team within a one-point deficit. Archer then sealed Greenwood’s victory as he ran the ball up the middle to convert the game-winning two-point conversion and ferociously stomped on the ground in celebration with his teammates, as he extended his team's winning streak to 29 games.
Throughout the season, Archer has thrown for 841 yards and eight touchdowns and one interception, while adding 255 yards and eight more touchdowns on the ground. He and Greenwood enter their bye week 3-0 after three non-conference opponents, and start conference play against Shiloh Christian on Sep. 26.
Carr, the three-star commit for the Minersville Battlin’ Miners in Pennsylvania, earned his recognition in EasternPAFootball’s weekly top performers list. He showed up four times in the top performers list in passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, rushing yards and total touchdowns.
Carr’s stellar performance came in a hard-fought 43-40 loss against the Williams Valley Vikings. Just like Archer, he demonstrated the ability to make an impact on the game through passing and running the ball. Carr completed 11 of 18 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns, but threw one interception. On the ground, he rushed 17 times for 179 yards and three touchdowns, amassing his totals at 396 yards and six touchdowns.
Throughout four games of Carr’s season, he’s thrown for 596 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 435 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Based on their game film and performances, both UCF commits possess a dual-threat capability. Archer and Carr have stacked hundreds of yards in both passing and rushing aspects, which is a trend in UCF’s scouting at the quarterback position.
With Archer and Carr’s skills, UCF’s 2026 quarterback room looks promising as they inject more dual-threat talent into the Knights program.