2026 Big 12 Media Day Storylines: UCF Knights
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The UCF Knights were a defining power of the American Conference. However, as members of the Big 12 Conference, UCF’s place among the college football hierarchy has shifted. The Knights are cycling through three-straight sub-.500 seasons, still trying to recapture the successes of yesteryear. To accelerate that progress, UCF turned back to the same head coach that made Orlando the center of the college football world nine years ago.
Scott Frost prepares for his second year of his second stint with UCF, looking to improve after last year’s 5-7 record. This offseason was significantly less hectic than last, characterized by more stability and fewer moving pieces.
Frost, along with quarterback Alonza Barnett III, offensive tackle Preston Cushman, outside linebacker Lewis Carter, and cornerback Jayden Bellamy, represented UCF at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, TX for Big 12 Media Days. Here are storylines to watch for the 2026 Knights:
Frost’s year two, round two
This is not the first time UCF has entered year two of the Scott Frost era.
In 2016, Frost took over as UCF’s head football coach and finished his first season with seven losses. That set up a dramatic 2017 where the Knights produced a historic, unblemished 13-0 record, capped with a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn and an NCAA-recognized national championship.
Nearly a decade later, Frost returned to Orlando for a second stint and is fresh off a debut season that featured seven losses. While he hopes to make a similar turnaround, he recognizes how different this tenure is, given the multitude of changes to the college football landscape — from NIL to the transfer portal to conference realignment to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
“Last year was tough,” Frost said. “Right when coaches were getting hired, the portal was open. When I showed up on campus, the portal was wide open. Our own players that I didn’t even know yet were trying to decide what to do. I didn’t have a staff, so people were going on visits and getting signed and I didn’t even have a recruiting department. We were way more prepared this year. We were able to keep and retain the right guys and bring in some other really good ones around them. I don’t know where it will lead to from a wins and losses standpoint, but I’m certainly more confident in this team than I was a year ago.”
Frost orchestrated the famous turnaround from 6-7 in 2016 to undefeated in 2017. He recalls one defining characteristic of the turnaround was that his team became increasingly player-led in his second season. Fast-forward to present-day, and signs of that were already evident in spring ball, which could be a step in restoring the winning culture in Orlando.
“When you talk about standards, there’s a certain way things need to be done in the building,” Frost said. “If coaches need to police that all the time, you don’t have a great time. I remember year one at UCF first time around, I’d come off the field sweaty and not have my voice at the end of every practice. Year two if something went wrong, McKenzie (Milton) fixed it or Wyatt Miller fixed it or one of the players fixed it, and it was a lot easier to be a head coach. I kind of get that same feeling now. The standards and expectations that the players have for each other is a lot higher than it was a year ago.”
Three seasons into UCF’s Big 12 tenure and the Knights still have yet to finish above .500. For the first time since 2003 and 2004, they failed to qualify for bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons. So what’s the recipe to restore UCF football to its glory days of the late 2010s? According to the players, it’s their improved continuity and refusal to stay complacent.
“Just not getting satisfied, just not getting comfortable with the stuff we have,” outside linebacker Lewis Carter said. “Just growing together more, and we have been. We got a lot more guys coming back with experience. We have a lot of guys that have been through the ups and downs of last year, felt the wins, felt the losses, and are willing to grow and uphold the standard.”
CFP QB arrives
Twelve quarterbacks received the opportunity to start in the 2025 College Football Playoff. Of those 12, seven remain in college in 2026. And of those seven, one transferred this offseason.
Alonza Barnett III led James Madison to the first-ever Sun Belt CFP berth last season behind 2,806 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 589 rushing yards, and 15 rushing touchdowns. Barnett entered the portal after the Dukes’ 51-34 playoff loss at Oregon and quickly identified a natural fit in Orlando.
“I loved the area, I loved the people, and schematically, they run what I want to run,” Barnett said. “I think that really made it easy. They were on me from the jump when the portal opened up. They were my first visit for a reason, and me going on a visit really confirmed what I was feeling.”
Barnett provides stability to a quarterback room that has lacked such in the past several years at UCF. The Knights started six different quarterbacks over the last two seasons, struggling to land on a long-term solution at the important position. Barnett has just one year of eligibility remaining, but his CFP experience and dual-threat abilities will be valuable in Frost’s offense.
“We’re excited to have a guy,” Frost said. “We went into last season with a three-horse race at quarterback. It’s gonna be nice and refreshing to have a guy that everybody looks to and knows that he’s the guy. Alonza’s played in a lot of football games, won a lot of football games. He’s a competitor, a guy that I’ve been really impressed with his presence on the field and in the huddle. He’s in charge, and I think the guys can see that. He’s the clear leader on offense right now like Lewis Carter is the clear leader on defense for us. We didn’t really have that a year ago either.”
The offensive players are bought into Barnett’s expertise, as he arrives equipped with 27 collegiate starts. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year impressed the incumbent Knights with his command of the offense, and there is belief that improvement at quarterback can spark improvement for the entire unit.
“Nothing to discredit our guys last year — great players, great humans, and they went on and did their own thing,” offensive tackle Preston Cushman said. “But Alonza’s such a smart and great player. He’s gonna put us in the right position every play and have firm feet as an offense. We know whatever he says, he’s on the right track, and really whatever he wants goes — whatever protection he calls. We know he’s dialed in on every single level and it makes it so much easier for us to be confident in what we do every single snap.”
Replacing NFL talent
UCF enters 2026 with significantly more stability than in 2025. Frost remains at the helm and he retained 10 of his 12 assistant coaches. This year, there are 10 returning starters — more than double the amount Frost worked with last fall. These are encouraging trends, but UCF must address one mammoth loss on its defense.
The Knights must replace first-round NFL talent in defensive end Malachi Lawrence, who was selected 23rd overall to the Dallas Cowboys in April’s draft. Lawrence was the team’s lone First Team All-Big 12 honoree in 2025, generating 7.0 sacks, 11.0 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
“It means a lot,” Carter said in reaction to watching his former teammate get drafted in the first round. “He’s setting the bar high and letting us know it’s possible coming out of UCF. Not being that favorited team, not being that powerhouse team, but he lets us know it’s possible to be able to go get it.”
Not only do the Knights lose Lawrence, but the unit must also replace defensive end Nyjalik Kelly who finished second on the team in sacks (3.0) and tackles for loss (7.5) and is currently a member of the Green Bay Packers. So who is suited to replace the defensive ends?
“We got pretty good guys that are coming in, willing to work, and willing to listen,” Carter said. “We got (Isaiah Nixon) coming back. He’s looking forward to a great season, willing to stack days, willing to go out there and work. You got Sincere Edwards who was not there throughout last season. He was beat up coming back from injury, but he’s a guy I put a lot of work in with. He’s gonna show up big for us this year. I know he will.”
The Knights, which generated 2.25 sacks per game last year, further addressed their need for new pass rushing talent in the transfer portal, landing Arkansas defensive end Ken Talley and Akron defensive end Bruno Dall. While there is no established star yet, one can always develop into NFL-caliber talent just like Lawrence.
“Those were great players last year, but the guys we have returning are also just outstanding, and they’ve made leaps and bounds in their play,” Cushman said. “Honestly, I didn’t know if Malachi or Nyjalik was a first-rounder last year, but in the back of our mind, we knew those guys were legit. But (edge rushers coach Mike) Dawson, he coaches these guys up great and they’re NFL talent. They’re gonna step right in those guys’ shoes and play their butts off.”
UCF’s main takeaway
One statistic has consistently held UCF back in each of the last four seasons — a negative turnover differential. The Knights are fresh off a season where they compiled a -4 differential, finishing tied for 91st in the FBS with 14 takeaways generated. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch emphasized this statistic throughout spring ball, and amplifying takeaways is a priority for UCF’s defense in 2026.
“Takeaways are something I’m trying to add to my game,” cornerback Jayden Bellamy said. “All the coaches have been preaching to us and the players to get the ball away.”
What exercises are necessary to increase turnover output? Bellamy says the team isn’t changing any drills, but the defensive backs are focused on catching the ball after every drill, rather than simply breaking up passes or blanketing receivers. Additionally, they’re putting in overtime work with the JUGS machine as if they were wide receivers, in effort to improve their hands and reaction time.
“It gets a little fiery,” Bellamy said. “We always try to compete to take the ball away and make sure no one catches the ball on us. After every lift, we all go to the JUGS machine to catch some passes because we all just want to get the ball.”
It’s not just the defensive backs emphasizing increased takeaway output. The entire team is honing in on this aspect, from the defensive line to the linebacking corps.
“One thing we’ve been preaching throughout spring ball is takeaways,” Carter said. “Ball takeaways and stuff like that. Just getting the ball back. When you’re away from the ball, violent arms. When you’re near the ball, violent hands.”
And nobody understands the value of takeaways more than Coach Frost. In the second year of his first stint, UCF finished second nationally in turnover differential, and that statistic was imperative to an undefeated season. Frost knows replicating his previous year two won’t be easy in 2026, but he will reference the formula which worked nine years ago in hopes of producing another breakthrough season.
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