⚡ CFB Dashboard

UCF's wide receiver corps is primed to take a major leap from last season, and one of the foundational pieces is current sophomore wide receiver Waden Charles. Last season, Charles was a camp standout and, through his skill on an underwhelming season, emerged as a bright spot with plenty of untapped potential. UCF emphasized retaining Charles this offseason, and with a big opportunity ahead of him, he can now step into a leadership role while still being one of the younger playmakers on the roster. Charles played in all 12 of UCF's games as a freshman in 2025, earning six starts, including starts in each of the final five games of the season. He finished the year with 26 receptions for 290 yards and added one rush for two yards. His best performance came against Oklahoma State on Nov. 22, when he recorded a season-high six catches for 76 yards. Charles also came up with a 26-yard catch and run on fourth-and-1 during another game-tying drive against the Cowboys. Charles showed his ability to make big plays throughout the season, including a 30-yard reception at No. 6 Texas Tech on Nov. 15. His first career catch came in the season opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28, when his 18-yard reception helped the Knights convert a third-and-15 and eventually led to a game-tying drive. Charles recorded at least three catches in five games and added two more games with two receptions. He also eclipsed 30 receiving yards in each of the final three games of the season, reaching that mark five times overall. With another offseason under his belt and a bigger role expected in 2026, Charles has an opportunity to take another major step forward. The sophomore wide receiver has already shown flashes of what he can become, and now he's ready to prove he can play with the best in the nation. (Photo: Nate Hill/Staff , 247Sports)   Here's Charles' media day interview: On his expectations for a sophomore slump vs. a breakout jump:  "I definitely expect myself to have a very big jump this year. The role I took on as a freshman early on, being able to get in games a lot—I was definitely blessed with the opportunity that the coaching staff and the players around me trusted me with. So I'm definitely going to build off that momentum that I had last year, come into this year, and just have a way better season individually and also with team success—just get more wins." On earning snaps as a freshman after starting lower on the depth chart:  "It definitely says something about the hard work that I've put in my whole life leading up to this moment, and the hard work I put in coming here to UCF. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I knew I had to put in a lot of work leading up to this point, and I'm not shy to hard work. I know it's going to be hard and things are going to get tough, but I also had a lot of influence and encouragement from the people around me, as well as the coaching staff. That helped me out a lot, too." On the depth and talent of the young receiver room (Tyren, Day-Day, etc.):  "We definitely have a lot of young guys that make a lot of plays and can go in the game at any moment. But at the end of the day, we go out there and play football. Even now when we go out and practice, it's a lot of bullets—a lot of things are moving fast for everybody. But we still go out there and make plays. Tyren goes in there and makes a lot of plays every day, and everybody in the receiver group can get in at any moment and make a play. That's been the trend for our receiver group this year: all of us can just go in there and make plays at any given moment." On competing against UCF cornerbacks in practice and trash talk:  "Going out there every day knowing that I'm going to compete with those guys like Bellamy, DJ Bell, and Antione Jackson just gives me so much joy. Every day I wake up in the morning, I'm so fired up to go out there and compete with them because I know the goal we're working towards, and I know we're going to continue to get each other better every single day. So going against them—talking trash and bickering back and forth like you said—gets us better as a team and brings us closer together. That's definitely getting us ready for sure." On the team culture and camaraderie compared to last year:  "You've probably heard a lot of people say this feels way different than last year, and that's very true. Just the team camaraderie that we've built—we do a lot of team bonding where some guys you might think wouldn't hang out with a certain group, but we bring people together so we can all click on and off the field. We picked right back up on our chemistry where we left off from the spring, and the train has been rolling ever since." On the sense of ownership in Year 2 at UCF:  "Everybody I've been around in this program so far treats UCF like home. That's basically what we talk about in our team meetings—the things that UCF does for the coaches that played here like McKenzie Milton, Coach Beck, Coach Drico, and people who have seen this program come from the ground up. Seeing what it's done for them in their lives, the people inside the facility now—myself and the players—are starting to see that and blend in and take that on." On stepping into a leadership role so early in his career:  "Ever since I was a young kid, I've always been a leader and looked at as a leader. I take that with a lot of pride and responsibility. I appreciate first and foremost the Man Above for giving me the ability to do what I'm able to do every day and influence the people around me, and my coaches and teammates for having that trust in me." On his versatility and skillset as a wide receiver:  "Speaking about myself, I'm versatile—I can do anything. I can go in the slot, I can go outside, I can run any route on the route tree, and I know how to get open in tight spaces. That's basically our whole receiver group: if you go from top to bottom, everybody knows how to do everything." On his relationship with wide receivers coach Sean Beckton:  "Coach Beck is a great guy. Ever since I came in my freshman year with a new staff, I didn't really get to meet him during my recruitment process, but once I got here, he took me under his wing. He's taught me every single detail I've known leading up to this point, and he's just been a great coach who continues to coach us all very hard." On where he gets his competitive confidence and drive:  "Definitely just growing up where I'm from in South Florida—Boynton Beach, Florida—competing with a lot of my friends and everybody I grew up with coming up. Just knowing that football was really our only way out. So knowing that I had to go hard every day to feed my mom—a single mom raising three boys by herself—I knew I had to go hard every day. No excuses. My mom worked two jobs by herself and would come home at 11:00 or 12:00 at night. So every time I take a rep or there's a DB standing in front of me, he's trying to take away from me feeding my mother, my family, and my two older brothers. I would never let anybody get in the way of that, and that's what I'm trying to instill in the rest of these receivers. Every time we go out there, it's a kill mentality. Anybody who steps in front of us has to get finished every time." On what it feels like to be in a position to provide for his family: "It's definitely very surreal, man. I really used to have dreams about this growing up. I used to think about this all the time, and now that I'm actually living in it, I'm so blessed. Every day I thank God, because without Him none of this is possible. I thank all my teammates and coaches for giving me an opportunity. At the same time, I always think: this is not the end. This is not even close to the end or even the beginning. I'm having a great trajectory of success, but I have to keep going because this is not the end goal." On his end goals for his career:  "The end goal is definitely to get to the league, have great success in the league, be legendary, and take care of my family at the end of the day." On handling fan expectations and pressure:  "A lot of high hopes from the fans and everything, but something I like to tell people and instill into my teammates: pressure is my middle name. Pressure is a privilege. You should want to have that pressure to go out there and make big plays for the fan base, for the team, and for UCF. We represent this logo right here, so going out there and putting on a great performance every single time we step out there is the goal." On staying loyal to UCF and not entering the transfer portal:  "I saw no reason to leave. I have everything that I need here. I'm getting developed in a great way, I have great teammates, we have a great offensive scheme that fits my play style, and everything is going in the right way for me right now. So the grass ain't always greener." On quarterback Alonza Barnett III:  "He's a proven winner—came from the playoffs, and he's just a great guy all around and a leader. Whenever he steps in the huddle, everybody knows it's time to lock in when he comes around just because of the presence that he brings to the room. Everybody knows we have to go out here and fight for this guy, protect him, and make plays for him on and off the field. Sky's the limit for that kid, man. He can spin the rock, he knows how to read defenses, and he knows how to make plays with his feet and everything." FOOTBALL KICKOFF WEEK 1/LABOR DAY SALE:  PROMO DETAILS:  75% OFF ANNUAL / FULL-PRICED MONTHLY STARTS:  Wednesday September 2nd at 12:00 am ET with a FREE DAY on 9/02. Those who sign up on 9/02 will be able to take advantage of the 75% off annual/FPM promo. ENDS:  Tuesday,  September 8th at 11:59 pm ET Terms: This deal will end at 11:59 p.m. ET on 9/08/2026. This promotion is for new and monthly members only. 247Sports.com reserves the right to alter or cancel this promotion at any time. Please write support@247sports.com with any questions you may have.