Venice standout James Reynolds brings a massive leg to Orlando as the nation’s top-ranked punting prospect, poised to secure a starting role for the Knights' future.
Continuing their success on the local recruiting trail, head coach Scott Frost and his staff added another Floridian talent to UCF's 2027 class on Sunday morning.
5-star punter/kicker James Reynolds announced his decision to join the Knights, becoming the first special teams player to commit.
Reynolds plays his high school football in Venice, FL.
"After much thought and consideration, I am committed to UCF," Reynolds wrote via X. "I am officially going to be a UCF Knight! Thank you to my family and all the coaches who made this possible. God is good and I am excited!"
He joins his parents, who both graduated from UCF, and sister, who is currently attending, as the next member of the family to land in Orlando.
Reynolds is ranked as the No. 3 punter in the class by Kohl's, who outlined what the 6-foot-4 specialist brings to the table.
"Reynolds had his best showing to date at the 2026 Kohl's National Underclassman Challenge," the Kohl's website reads. "Competing against a talented field he stood out amongst the rest. He has developed into one of the best punting prospects in his class. He has arguably the strongest leg in the class and was impressive as a combo prospect. Punting is his current strength, but he showed plenty of potential in the field goal and kickoff charting."
Reynolds notched the top score in the punting metric (114.62), while his field goal kicking also impressed.
Last season, UCF had the luxury of Noe Ruelas as its placekicker, who was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team.
Ruelas made the most of his lone season as a Knight, finishing 15-17 in field goal attempts while converting 32 of his 33 extra point opportunities.
Ruelas also converted three of four attempts from 50-plus yards, matching his total makes from that distance in his previous three seasons at James Madison and Connecticut combined.
For Ruelas' impressive season, he was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. This award is given to the top placekicker in the country.
As far as punting goes, the Knights had Anthony Venneri, who posted a bit of a down year compared to his time at Buffalo.
With one more year of eligibility, Venneri could be replaced by the uber-talented Reynolds, who has a real opportunity to start on day one.
Reynolds' frame and kicking power makes him a nice get for Frost and the Knights, who continue to fill holes with their 2027 recruiting.
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