Scott Frost and McKenzie Milton chose to double down on high school quarterback prospects in their first full recruiting cycle since returning to UCF.
Less than two months after plucking accomplished Arkansas prep passer Kane Archer, the Knights added a commitment from one of Pennsylvania’s most dangerous dual-threats — Minersville Area’s Dante Carr.
Carr received an offer from the Knights on June 1 while taking an official visit to Orlando. He announced his commitment two days later.
“The biggest thing is that they want to win,” Carr said about his future coaches. “They want people to come in and compete right away. It’s something that I am really excited about, to come in with someone as good as Kane. Whether it’s me or whether it’s him, I know that we are going to support one another.”
Here are five things to know about Carr, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound rising senior considered the No. 28 overall player from the Keystone State by 247Sports.
1. Dante Carr holds 11 Division I offers, but just 2 to play QB
Carr’s recruitment accelerated following phone calls with Frost and Milton in early May, sending in tape and booking his visit shortly thereafter. It was a rare opportunity for Carr, considering just two of his 11 Division I football offers are to play quarterback.
Rutgers and Coastal Carolina entered the picture and evaluated him to play tight end. But once he learned he could stick behind center, where he has played since the seventh grade, Carr turned his full focus on the Knights.
Lehigh, an in-state Football Championship Subdivision program, offered Carr the chance to play QB in July 2024. Seven other schools — Army, Cornell, Georgetown, Old Dominion, Pennsylvania, Towson and Youngstown State — planned to take him on as a multi-purpose athlete.
2. Dante Carr topped 1,000 passing and rushing yards as a junior
Born and raised in Minersville, a town of less than 5,000 people roughly 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Carr is poised to graduate as a four-year starting signal-caller for the Battlin’ Miners.
As as sophomore, he guided Minersville to the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs. Last year, he topped the 1,000-yard mark in passing and rushing — completing 98 of 180 throws for 1,757 yards with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and adding 1,182 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground on just 90 carries.
3. Dante Carr, his mom made Minersville Area basketball history
Carr made history for Minersville Area’s basketball program in February, becoming the 41st player to score 1,000 career points and just the third to do as an underclassman, according to WAVT in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Among those he joined in the illustrious group is his mother, Katie Rowland Carr — marking the only time a parent and child have done so for the Battlin’ Miners.
“My first time ever playing basketball, my mom was my coach. She got me into it and taught me everything I know,” Carr said. “The night it happened, she was a mess and all emotional. It’s a blessing.”
In 2024-25, Carr averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, knocking down 19 3-pointers while shooting 55% from the field and 60% from the free throw line.
4. Dante Carr holds 2 Minersville Area track and field records
Carr has lettered in four varsity sports to date at Minersville Area — football, basketball, track and field and baseball, in which he no longer competes. For good measure, he likes to golf with his friends and has lowered his handicap down to an 8 in just 2½ years on the links.
On April 29, he broke the school’s record in the long jump with a best attempt of 22 feet, 10 inches. Two weeks earlier, he ran the second leg of a record-setting 4×100-meter relay team that crossed the line in 43.8 seconds.
According to Milesplit, Carr placed 15th in the high jump at the PIAA state championships. He cleared the bar at 6 feet, 3 inches this past season, and he captured a district title in the event.
5. Dante Carr shut down recruitment following UCF visit
Carr booked a trip to Rutgers prior to doing so with UCF, but never made it to New Jersey. Instead, as he confirmed to The News-Journal, he shut down his recruitment and plans to enroll in Orlando following his senior year.
Though there were no guarantees going into his visit, Carr felt like the opportunity was coming. When it did, the process, in his mind, was a wrap.
“I kind of knew it would come,” Carr said. “(Frost) likes to do stuff in person. It was awesome, everything I have worked so hard for and everything I’ve dreamed of.
“I was happy to get it overwith as quick as I did.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 5 things to know about Dante Carr, UCF’s 2nd QB addition from 2026 recruiting cycle
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
