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Pete ThamelESPN
Former UCF wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe, one of the most productive players in the NCAA transfer portal, told ESPN that he’s transferring to Boston College.
O’Keefe has caught 184 passes for 2,002 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons at UCF. He said he had offers from TCU, Oregon and Houston.
O’Keefe only visited BC, however, and picked the Eagles in part because of his strong relationship with wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, his former position coach at UCF. O’Keefe said Wyatt recruited him to UCF and he wanted to reunite with him to continue to develop with hopes of reaching the NFL.
“He’s like another father figure to me,” O’Keefe said. “I’ve known him since I was 17. He’s always given me words of advice and encouragement. He’s a special dude to me. He’s like another dad.”
There will be a big void to fill at the receiver position at BC with the loss to Zay Flowers to the NFL. Flowers projects as a first-round pick in the NFL draft, and O’Keefe said the BC coaches spoke to him about playing a similar role.
O’Keefe, who is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, caught 73 passes this year for 725 yards, and 84 passes for 812 yards last year. He said he graduates from UCF on Saturday and will enroll at BC in January with hopes of starting toward a master’s degree in psychology.
He said part of the appeal of BC is that offensive coordinator John McNulty runs more of an NFL-style offense, which could help his transition to the NFL.
“It was really hard to leave UCF,” O’Keefe said. “I really established myself here. I have a lot of friends and family, too. It was a business decision at the end of the day.”
The O’Keefe news continued a day of good news for coach Jeff Hafley’s program. All-ACC guard Christian Mahogany, who missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL, said in a video posted on social media that he’ll be returning next year. Prior to the injury, Mahogany was the No. 2 guard prospect in the 2023 NFL draft according to Mel Kiper Jr. He’ll attempt to reestablish that next year.