NATIONAL SIGNING DAY: Bargnare, Alexander highlight Dr. Phillips signees

DR. PHILLIPS  A large crowd gathered in the courtyard at Dr. Phillips High School Wednesday morning to celebrate four Panthers signing National Letters of Intent. 

Dr. Phillips football saw senior Jaquarius "Q" Bargnare sign his NLI with UCF and Nigel Alexander signed with Dartmouth. Cross country star Jean D'Haiti inked his NLI with Florida A&M University and soccer standout Eliajah Smith signed with Webster University.

Bargnare excited for new era at UCF

Jaquarius Bargnare, a senior slot receiver/running back for the Panthers, could hardly hold back a smile as he talked about his excitement in signing with the UCF Knights.

Bargnare already had the Knights on his radar as he was going through his recruitment process, but when new UCF head coach Scott Frost was hired to replace George O'Leary and he immediately reached out to the Dr. Phillips speedster, it began to feel like a perfect match.

"(Frost) came over here and he recruited me hard. ... I believe in him," Bargnare said. "It's a great feeling to be a part of things and we going to keep it moving."

Frost, who was the offensive coordinator at Oregon before taking his new job in Orlando, has put together an impressive class after getting a late start in the recruiting calendar — and local players like Bargnare figure to be a point of emphasis for the rebuilding effort UCF is embarking on. 

Dr. Phillips head coach Rodney Wells said Wednesday he has been impressed with early impressions Frost and his staff have made locally.

"It was the second day after Scott Frost got the job and he called me and said he was going to make Central Florida a priority," Wells said. "In the past, guys like 'Q' got out of (Orlando) and went to other programs in other states and UCF is making (recruiting locally) a top priority — which everybody is excited about around here."

Alexander goes Ivy

Senior linebacker Nigel Alexander went into the 2015 season with little to no recruiting buzz. 

After a season of strong player and hard work, he'll now be attending one of the nation's elite academic institutes after signing a National Letter of Intent with Dartmouth.

"He went from having no offers to having about four or five different choices," Wells said. "Obviously, Dartmouth and the Ivy League, that's the best choice (for him)."