FORT LAUDERDALE — Palm Beach Central rising senior wide receiver Waden Charles was the second player in the 2025 class to commit to Miami and he’s remained solid for the past nine months.
“They were the first school to jump on me really hard back at the end of my sophomore season,” Charles said Thursday after Central’s spring jamboree at Cardinal Gibbons. “They always showed love ever since then so that’s why I just felt like that was home for me.”
The 6-foot-2 Charles, ranked No. 39 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, caught 30 passes for 478 yards (15.9 yards per catch) and scored a team-best seven touchdowns in 2023.
He added 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason and now is up to 190 pounds.
“I feel different, I feel way better as a receiver,” Charles said. “I feel I’m completing my game more as a senior going into this next season.
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He answered five questions for the USA Today Florida Network about his recruiting.
Q. You’ve been locked in with Miami for a while. What has that recruitment been like?
A. I’m still locked in on Miami. They hit me up every day. Still a great relationship with that staff. Coach (Mario) Cristobal, coach KB (wide receivers coach Kevin Beard), all the receiver coaches, everyone on the staff. They always hit me up so it’s a great relationship. They just came (to Central on Wednesday). KB came in during lunchtime, just sat with him the whole lunchtime like he always does. He always sits with me, has great conversations. What have I been working on during the offseason? Just having a great conversation. Coach (Shannon) Dawson also came to practice to watch me and my teammates, too.
Q. What other schools did you unofficially visit during the spring?
A. I went to UCF and Tennessee. I feel like I’m sitting in a good place with those schools. They’re keeping their contact. They’re showing me the opportunity I have if I come in to their school, for me to be able to have a chance to make a big impact, play early and stuff like that. I already have one (official visit) set up for UCF and I’m still figuring out the date for Tennessee.
Q. What school is making the strongest push to try to get you to flip?
A. Definitely UCF. They’re definitely making a constant push.
Q. Who are the guys that you’re trying to recruit to come to Miami?
A. There has been a lot of guys committing, too, but I’ve been hitting up a lot of guys. Like there’s a lineman at IMG, Kayden Strayhorn. He’s a great interior offensive lineman. I’ve been talking to him. (Vero Beach linebacker) TJ Alford, maybe can make a flip from Ohio State. Tony Williams, my teammates and cornerback. (Palm Beach Central wide receiver) Kamare Williams. There’s a lot of great guys in this class.
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Q. Who are the players you watch and try to model your game after?
A. Andre Johnson, that’s an old receiver I like to watch. I like CeeDee Lamb. That’s a guy I like to take my game after. I like a Javon Baker, a wide receiver who just left UCF and went to the NFL. Those are tall guys that like to move good, so that’s who I try to model my game after. I’m a tall guy but I can do a lot, like I can move to the slot. I’m a versatile receiver.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Recruiting: 5 questions with Palm Beach Central WR Waden Charles
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