Bethune-Cookman · W 73-6 · FCS
No catches.
Baylor · L 9-41
5 catches, 45 yards
The other 6 games average 36 yards. This one was 9 above.
Charles has catches in 7 of UCF’s 8 games: none against Bethune-Cookman.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
6 stories in the last 60 days, from 5 outlets.
Waden Charles
Second year in the same receiving corps at UCF. One game to point at: 64 receiving yards and 3 receptions against Houston — Week 5, 2026.
262 receiving yards · 23 catches · 2 receiving TD
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 5 outlets
UCF’s Waden Charles on Closing Out Games: ‘We Just Got to Be Able to Finish’
247Sports Oct 8 · 1 outlet
from 6 outlets
UCF’s Waden Charles on Closing Out Games: ‘We Just Got to Be Able to Finish’
247Sports Oct 8 · 1 outlet
Locked OnUcf’s Alonza Barnett Ready to Explode , Waden Charles Breakout Looms | UCF PodcastAug 22
On3Waden Charles: UCF must respond after frustrating Pitt lossSep 12Locked OnUcf's Waden Charles Reveals How UCF Receivers might dominate Early | UCF PodcastSep 23
Daytona Beach News-JournalUCF football WR Waden Charles talks recovery of Duane Thomas Jr. - Daytona Beach News-JournalOct 5247SportsOn3
Yahoo Sports
Sports IllustratedEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Waden Charles vs Georgia State.
Against Baylor on Oct. 30: 5 catches for 45 yards, 1 of 2 on third and fourth down. In the 7 games drawn here: 23 catches for 262 yards. UCF has thrown to him 32 times in 226 passes.
Each game is split into its four quarters, so the columns line up from game to game; inside a quarter, plays keep their order. Third and fourth downs are marked under the line, bold when he moved the chains.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 45 receiving yards, 5 catches.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 7-12@ Pittsburgh | 4 | 41 | 10.3 | 1 | 19 | |
| Wk 3 | W 44-30vs Georgia State | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 1 | 30 | |
| Wk 4 | W 21-13vs TCU | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 5 | L 17-27@ No. 20 Houston | 4 | 68 | 17.0 | 0 | 35 | Season-high 68 yds |
| Wk 6 | L 28-42@ No. 18 Oklahoma State | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 8 | W 39-31vs No. 2 BYU | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 9 | L 9-41vs Baylor | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 0 | 25 | |
| Total | 23 | 262 | 11.4 | 2 | 35 |
Week 2 · 2026
L 7-12
at Pittsburgh
4 rec · 41 yds · 1 TD
With A. Bertrams — 44.5 yards per punt · 6 punts · 3 inside the 20 · A. Barnett — 186 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 35.0 · 13 rush yds (13 car)
The plays that mattered most
320th in receiving yards, among all 2,086 FBS players with a receiving row this season, any position
Ratings of the games shown run from -9 to +17 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
3214% of team targetsCatch rate
72%23 of 32 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
72% catch rate on 32 targets · 14% of the team's targets · 60% catch rate on 5 deep targets (20+ air yds).
2 seasons under Scott Frost, all balanced offenses — 9-11 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.2 | 30.8 | 9.5 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 3.3 | 46.3 | 14.1 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.2 | 39.8 | 12.5 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 3.5 | 31.5 | 9.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Frost
Pass share
48.3%
248 pass / 265 run
Plays / game
64.1
8 games
Team sack rate
5.7%
280 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #263 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #43 of 55 Big 12 WRs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
