Tyler Hudanick

JACKSON TWP — It was a long road trip for Tyler Hudanick, but one that proved well worth his time.

Seneca Valley's senior offensive lineman made an official visit to the University of Central Florida in Orlando over the weekend and was so impressed that he made a verbal commitment to continue his academic and athletic careers at the school before returning home on Sunday.

Hudanick (6-foot-5, 295 pounds) also received attention from a number of other schools, including the University of Connecticut, along with several Mid-American Conference teams. But in the end, his decision was an easy one.

“I really fell in love with everything about UCF,” said Hudanick, who plans to be a health science major with a goal of becoming a physical therapist. “I love the campus and facilities and got along with the coaching staff really well. I spent some time with Coach (George) O'Leary and it was a lot of fun. Plus, the weather down there is much nicer than we have in this area.”

Hudanick, a left tackle since his junior campaign, missed half of SV's 2014 season due to injuries to both knees, but is now 100 percent.

“I first had a knee injury 19 days before my junior season,” said Hudanick. “I was still able to make it back for our first game that season. The two surgeries I had this season (the last coming in November) were pretty minor. I knew I'd still have the chance to play at the Division I level. I've been 100 percent since Christmas.”

Hudanick started at right tackle as a sophomore and helped the Raiders go 10-2 that year, reaching the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals. He moved to left tackle in 2013 and was instrumental in paving the way for an explosive offense on a team that went 9-2 and reached the quarterfinals.

“I've gotten to know Tyler really well over the last six years,” said former SV head coach Don Holl. “This couldn't happen to a nicer kid. He was a great leader on the team and takes coaching very well.”

Despite his injuries this past fall, Hudanick was still named to the All-State team.

Central Florida will have a new offensive coordinator in Brent Key, who replaces Charlie Taaffe. Key makes the switch from offensive line coach, a role that will now be filled by Allen Mogridge.

“They will still be running a lot of the same stuff, focusing a lot on running the ball,” said Hudanick.

Central Florida competes in the American Athletic Conference, which was born from the former Big East Conference. In his previous 11 seasons as head coach of the team, O'Leary has guided the Golden Knights to four conference championships, including the last two AAC titles.

UCF went 9-4 overall this past season, which ended with a 34-27 loss to North Carolina State in the Saint Petersburg Bowl Dec. 26.

Hudanick has hopes of seeing the field next fall.

“Nothing was promised to me, but the coaches said if I'm physically and mentally ready, I will have the chance to play. Right now, they are looking at me as a right tackle.

“Every player at UCF has a goal of winning conference championships,” he added. “I want to better myself as a player and make the players around me better.”