Agriculture Commissioner, rumored gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam on the graduation circuit

State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said he looked into the crowd at the University of Central Florida on Friday and thought to himself: "Keep it short."

He knew the 1,200 graduates and their families and friends hadn't come to hear him speak.

But speak he has, at two commencements in seven days, both at high-profile state universities. He joked at UCF and at Florida A&M University that being the keynote speaker at a spring graduation is akin to moving up to the big leagues and he didn't want to blow it.

At UCF, Putnam told the students they were graduating from one of the nation's largest universities with a diploma that provides them a "golden ticket" that is recognition of their hard work and a tool to go out and improve the world. "One piece of advice, as this weekend we will witness one of those remarkable meteor shows that are so spectacular in this part of the world: Never forget the motto of this your alma mater: Reach for the stars."

Putnam's profile continues to rise. The Republican former legislator and congressman is considered the front-runner to win the gubernatorial race in 2018 even though he hasn't officially said yet that he will run.

Putnam has spoken previously at graduation ceremonies for private colleges, community colleges and high schools. Now, the universities are calling.

His message at the UCF graduation, one of the school's six ceremonies over three days, was similar to the one he gave April 30 to 600 students at FAMU's second ceremony.

"At its core, it was a message about the importance of civic engagement," he said.

Putnam encouraged students at both schools to give back and stay involved.

At FAMU, he talked about visiting the campus as a young 4-H student and having teachers who were proud alumni.

He said he supported the restoration of its law school during his time in the Legislature and more recently helping the university secure 3,800 acres of research land in Brooksville in the largest transfer ever from the federal government to a historically black college or university.

Iman Sandifer, a Hallandale Beach native who earned his master's in education leadership at FAMU said, "You can tell that he did his research on the institution prior to coming, which was cool."

Tia Mitchell: (850) 933-1321