Cole Kozlowski’s UCF Return Faces Major Crossroads

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"Good to be back," Cole Kozlowski said, walking to the practice field on Aug. 8 after being granted a fifth year of eligibility, but those hopes have been sidelined for now.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay on Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado's ruling on Friday morning. Judge Sweeney's July 31 decision granted athletes who exhausted their fourth year of eligibility this past spring an additional year.

Kozlowski, who was officially listed on the UCF Knights roster, has now been ruled ineligible to return. This is a fluid situation, subject to change over time.

"The rules are changing faster than Mario Brothers when you go through warp zones," coach Scott Frost told local reporters on Aug. 10. "He was cleared to be back and is enrolled in classes, but we’re waiting on a final decision."

A cloud of uncertainty hovers over UCF. Kozlowski would be a major addition to an already experienced linebacker group, and his return would shake up the depth chart.

He earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors last season after transferring from Colgate. The then-senior finished second on the team with 82 tackles (48 solo) behind Lewis Carter and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Carter and Kozlowski formed a formidable linebacker duo for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. UCF teased Kozlowski's return on X, posting a picture of him and Carter together on Aug. 5.

Although his college football fate is pending, the Knights added talented players during January's transfer portal cycle. They added Old Dominion transfer Jahleel Culbreath and Wisconsin transfer Tackett Curtis.

Culbreath was named to the Butkus Award Watchlist last Friday. He's coming off a career year where he finished with 71 tackles.

Curtis has reunited with Grinch, where they spent one season together at USC and Wisconsin. He said the Knights' defensive coordinator hasn't changed his scheme much, and his familiarity will help him diagnose concepts quicker.

Those two could make up for Kozlowski's loss throughout next season.

Kozlowski's journey to return has been tumultuous to say the least. He sought a preliminary injunction as part of the Patterson et al v. NCAA Tennessee court case, but Judge William L. Campbell Jr. dashed those hopes on Jan. 15.

Judge Sweeney reversed that decision several months later, and the joy was palpable on the linebacker's face when jogging to practice. Now, he's sidelined again as the season opener against Bethune-Cookman nears in two weeks.

The return of college athletes for a fifth season after exhausting eligibility has drawn mixed reactions on social media, and it's a lengthy, difficult discussion at the legal level, too.

Kozlowski's fate is walking on a thin tightrope that can snap at the slam of the gavel.

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