2026 UCF Knights Football Season Preview

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Scott Frost prepares for year two at UCF. This isn’t the first time that sentence has been applicable.

Nine years ago, coming off a 6-7 season, Frost transformed UCF into a spotless 13-0. The Knights won the American Conference, upended Auburn in the Peach Bowl, finished No. 6 in the AP Poll, and secured an NCAA-recognized national championship.

Fast-forward to present day. Frost finished with seven losses in his first season of his second tenure, and he’s looking for a sharp turnaround. However, the same situation exists in a strikingly different climate. The transfer portal and NIL did not exist in 2017. UCF is now a member of the Big 12 Conference, where the program remains in search of its first winning season.

One advantage Frost enjoys entering 2026 is greater stability. Last season, he navigated immense turnover on both the roster and coaching staff. This season, the Knights retained a significant contingent of their coaching staff and return 10 primary starters. Does that continuity prompt greater success? Frost has excelled in year two at UCF before, and he’ll have a chance to prove himself once again in Orlando.

Staff

Scott Frost remains head coach of UCF. Despite coaching eight collegiate seasons, Frost has only finished above .500 once — that magical 2017 season when he attained perfection. Still, the head coach facilitated improvement in his first year of his second tenure, inheriting a UCF team coming off a 4-8 season and guiding it to a 5-7 record in 2025.

Frost retains all three coordinators, who also enter year two in Orlando. Steve Cooper directs the offense, Alex Grinch leads the defense, and Pete Alamar runs the special teams. Another notable name returning to the staff is quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton, who starred at quarterback under Frost during the Knights’ immaculate 2017 campaign.

Other incumbent position coaches include Jimmy Beal (running backs), Sean Beckton Sr. (wide receivers), Mike Dawson (edge rushers), Kenny Martin (defensive tackles), and Mike D’Onofrio (linebackers). Dawson was a member of Frost’s 2016-17 staff at UCF, while Martin is the longest tenured assistant coach in Orlando, first arriving for the 2021 season.

New staff members include Cooper Bassett (tight ends), who served as Oklahoma State’s offensive line coach in 2025 and previously operated as Utah State’s co-offensive coordinator. The Knights also added AJ Blazek (offensive line), who previously served as the offensive line coach at Rutgers (2016-18), North Dakota State (2019-20), Vanderbilt (2021-23), and Wisconsin (2024-25). Defensively, UCF brings NFL experience to its secondary with the hire of David Overstreet II, who spent 2025 as the Dallas Cowboys’ secondary/cornerbacks coach and previously worked with the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.

Offense

• Key arrivals: QB Alonza Barnett III, QB Keyone Jenkins, RB Landen Chambers, RB Duke Watson, WR Josh Derry, WR Jonathan Bibbs, WR Tyren Hornes, TE Grayson Brousseau, C Cooper Terpstra, G Brady Wayburn, OT Henry Tabansi, OT Tyler Gibson
• Key departures: QB Tayven Jackson, QB Cam Fancher, RB Myles Montgomery, RB Jaden Nixon, WR DJ Black, WR Chris Domercant, C Carter Miller, G Gaard Memmelaar, G Keegan Smith, OT Paul Rubelt
• Key incumbents: WR Duane Thomas Jr., WR Waden Charles, TE Dylan Wade, G Connor Meadows, OT Preston Cushman, OT Owen Spell

Scott Frost was known as an offensive mastermind in the mid-to-late 2010s. He originally landed the UCF job after orchestrating prolific offenses at Oregon. Then at UCF, he produced the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense in 2017, averaging 48.2 points per game during the run to perfection.

The Knights are in need of an offensive revolution again. UCF ranked second in the Big 12 in total offense in 2023 and 2024 but dipped to 12th in the league last year, averaging 379 yards per game — its lowest output since Frost’s original first season in 2016. The Knights exceeded 27 points on only three occasions, including one-sided dominations of North Carolina and West Virginia.

Everything clicked in those West Virginia and North Carolina games, but consistent offense was tough to come by the rest of the season. UCF scored 21 or fewer points in two-thirds of its contests and was held below 12 in three Big 12 matchups.

One reason a turnaround might be imminent: UCF landed a College Football Playoff-caliber quarterback. Alonza Barnett III spent the last two seasons at James Madison’s starter, guiding the Dukes to the first-ever Sun Belt playoff berth in 2025. The Sun Belt Player of the Year has delivered 49 touchdown strikes to 13 interceptions over the past two seasons. He threw for 2,806 yards in 2025 while adding 589 and 15 touchdowns on the ground as a dynamic runner. Barnett provides much-needed stability to the quarterback room in Orlando that has seen six different starters over the last two years. UCF also emphasized acquiring depth behind him, landing three-year FIU starter Keyone Jenkins in the transfer portal, along with Boise State backup Kaleb Annett.

The Knights have fielded potent rushing attacks since joining the Big 12. They ranked top-five nationally in rushing offense and rushing average in both 2023 and 2024. Last season, UCF finished 29th in the FBS with 4.89 yards per carry, but the unit lost each of its top seven leading rushers. Transfers Duke Watson (Louisville) and Landen Chambers (FCS Central Arkansas) will be tasked with keeping the ground game dangerous.

Watson excelled as a true freshman at Louisville with 597 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on an 8.9 average. However, his production diminished in 2025 as he dealt with an ankle injury and a crowded running back depth chart featuring Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. Meanwhile, Chambers arrives after accruing 1,273 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last fall. He finished ninth in the FCS in rushing and earned First Team All-UAC honors in a dominant redshirt sophomore campaign. Four-start 2025 recruit Taevion Swint, who missed last season due to injury, should also be in line for considerable playing time.

The receiving corps is the most stable component of the offense. UCF brings back its top three leading receivers from last season — wide receivers Duane Thomas Jr. and Waden Charles and tight end Dylan Wade. Thomas ranked atop the team with 53 receptions and 528 yards, while Wade served as the primary red zone target with five of the team’s 12 receiving touchdowns. Transfers Jonathan Bibbs (ULM) and Josh Derry (FCS Monmouth) provide more depth to a room in desperate need of it. Bibbs led ULM with 26 catches for 283 yards, while Derry earned FCS First Team All-American honors following a 73-catch, 1,101-yard, 13-touchdown masterclass.

Four-star true freshman Tyren Hornes — the No. 12 wide receiver recruit according to ESPN — is another name to watch in the receiving corps, as is tight end Grayson Brousseau, a 6’5”, 245 pound target who started two games at Oklahoma State a season ago.

Right tackle Preston Cushman is the only returning starter on the offensive line after leading the team with 753 snaps in 2025. With limited returning experience, the Knights turned to the portal and landed Henry Tabansi, a two-year starting left tackle at Buffalo; Brady Wayburn, a six-game starting right guard at UConn; Tyler Gibson, a six-game starting right tackle at Charlotte; and Cooper Terpstra, a one-game starting center at Michigan State. These newcomers will assimilate with the incumbent reserves, which include Connors Meadows and the 6’8” Owen Spell — both of whom have seen in-game reps at multiple positions along the line.

Defense

• Key arrivals: DE Bruno Dall, DE Ken Talley, DE L A Jessie Harrold, DT Thomas Collins, DT Brad Gurley Jr., ILB Tackett Curtis, OLB Jahleel Culbreath, OLB Rashad Henry, CB Jailen Duffie, CB Matt Irwin, FS Ty Bartrum, SS Caleb Flagg
• Key departures: DE Malachi Lawrence, DE Nyjalik Kelly, DT John Walker, DT RJ Jackson Jr., ILB Keli Lawson, FS Phillip Dunnam
• Key incumbents: DE Isaiah Nixon, DE Sincere Edwards, DT RJ Jackson Jr., DT Horace Lockett, OLB Lewis Carter, CB Jayden Bellamy, CB Braeden Marshall, CB Antione Jackson, CB DJ Bell, FS Jayden Williams, SS Demari Henderson
• TBD based on NCAA v. Wisne ruling: ILB Cole Kozlowski

UCF was renowned for its dominant offensive play in the 2010s and the early 2020s, but in 2025, defense was the calling card of the team. The Knights held five opponents below 15 points and finished 5-0 in such games. However, when the defense allowed more than 15, UCF finished 0-7, as the offense often struggled to keep pace on the scoreboard.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch returns for his second season in Orlando, and more than half of his starting 2025 defense remains on campus. The deepest position group was unquestionably the secondary, which spearheaded the nation’s 22nd-ranked passing defense, yielding just 185 passing yards per game. It didn’t allow many explosive plays either, as only five FBS teams surrendered fewer 30+ yard passes than the Knights.

This vaunted secondary returns four starters — boundary corners Jayden Bellamy and Antione Jackson, nickel Braeden Marshall, and safety Demari Henderson. Bellamy and Jackson ranked first and second on the team with eight and five pass breakups, respectively, while Marshall is the only returning Knight who recorded multiple interceptions in 2025. Henderson, who has been a fixture in the lineup since UCF was in the American, led the secondary with a career-high 61 tackles.

Other rotation pieces in the defensive back room include returning talent DJ Bell and Jayden Williams, FCS transfer cornerbacks Jailen Duffie (North Dakota State) and Matt Irwin (Idaho), and transfer safeties Ty Bartrum (Harvard) and Caleb Flagg (Missouri). Irwin was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the FCS’s top defensive player, Duffie was an all-conference selection, and Flagg — who redshirted after four appearances last fall — offers 24 tackles of FBS experience at Mizzou.

UCF could boast one of the best secondaries in the Big 12, but the group must address one of its previous shortcomings: takeaways. The Knights only forced 12 turnovers the entire 2025 season, and they loses Phillip Dunnam, who tallied a team-high three interceptions. When UCF forced at least one turnover, it went 5-3. Otherwise, it was 0-4.

Turnover production could also be sparked by a dominant pass rush. However, this might be UCF’s toughest area to reload after losing NFL first-round draft pick Malachi Lawrence, along with Nyjalik Kelly. Those were the only two Knights to produce more than two sacks in 2025. While not as top heavy, UCF could generate a deeper pass rush in 2026. All-Big 12 honorable mention defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr. will be one commanding presence to spearhead it, using his 6’3”, 310 pound frame to create disruption on the interior. Beside him is 6’6”, 355 pound defensive tackle Horace Lockett whose 2025 was cut short due a season-ending injury in September.

New defensive ends lining up alongside those tackles include returning faces Isaiah Nixon and Sincere Edwards, who combined 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2025, and transfers Bruno Dall (Akron), Ken Talley (Arkansas), and L A Jessie Harrold (Florida State). Dall, a 6’7”, 260 pound Germany native, possesses the most experience of the bunch as a reigning Third Team All-MAC selection. Harrold’s potential is intriguing as a highly-touted recruit in the 2025 class. Oregon State starting defensive tackle Thomas Collins and all-conference honoree Brad Gurley, who arrives from FCS Eastern Kentucky, are other notable adds to a defensive line with plenty of potential.

Rounding out the defense is the linebacking corps led by outside linebacker Lewis Carter, whose 92 tackles were first on the Knights last season. But the room has become increasingly complicated due to the ongoing Wisne v. NCAA situation, which granted a fifth year of eligibility to athletes who graduated high school in 2022. After the initial ruling, inside linebacker Cole Kozlowski — who ranked second on the team with 82 tackles — returned to fall camp. However, the NCAA successfully appealed, denying players such as Kozlowski a fifth season. He can still file an individual lawsuit and receive an exception, but time is ticking as the season approaches.

If Kozlowski is unable to go, UCF will rely on transfers to complement Carter at linebacker. Tackett Curtis (Wisconsin), Jahleel Culbreath (Old Dominion), and Rashad Henry (UMass) were all starters at their previous institutions. Curtis arrives with career totals of 96 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks, Culbreath adds 149 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks to the room, and Henry is fresh off a 67-tackle season, giving the Knights a slew of experienced players to work with.

Special Teams

• Key arrivals: K Will Stone, P Atticus Bertrams, LS Kyle Hicks
• Key departures: K Noe Ruelas, P Anthony Venneri, KR Jaden Nixon
• Key incumbents: KR Duane Thomas Jr., PR Antione Jackson

UCF’s special teams thrived in one vital area last year: kicking accuracy. The Knights posted the highest field goal percentage in the Big 12. However, they were rarely involved in one-score games, going 2-2 on the season, so few results came down to Noe Ruelas’ reliable leg.

Ruelas has since graduated, creating a placekicker competition between Texas transfer Will Stone and redshirt freshman Noah McGough. Neither has kicked a college field goal, but they combine for three career extra point makes. Stone has a leg up in the in-game experience department, serving as the Longhorns’ kickoff specialist from 2022-24 and four games in 2025 to preserve a redshirt.

UCF also must replace Anthony Venneri at punter. The Knights brought in Atticus Bertrams, who held down punting duties at Wisconsin for three years. The Australia native had a particularly strong 2024, where he finished second in the Big Ten and 12th in the FBS with a 45.3 punting average.

In the return game, UCF retains its second-leading kick returner Duane Thomas Jr. and primary punt returner Antione Jackson. Thomas fielded six kickoffs for 103 yards, while Thomas handled 16 of 17 returnable punts, producing a respectable 188 yards. Kaj Baker and Taevion Swint — two of the fastest players on the team — are among running backs the Knights could also implement in the kick return game to replace Jaden Nixon.

Schedule and Outlook

* denotes non-conference game

Fun fact: UCF hasn’t lost an opener since 2015. Only Ohio State, Air Force, Georgia, and Oklahoma State ride longer streaks of 1-0 starts than the Knights. Starting strong hasn’t been UCF’s issue, however, even during three-consecutive losing seasons. The Knights have opened 3-0 every year since joining the Big 12, owning an 8-1 non-conference record over that span.

Conference play has been the issue. UCF finished 3-6 in conference play in 2023 and has posted 2-7 showings in consecutive seasons. But several factors work in the Knights’ favor for the 2026 Big 12 slate. First, they host five of nine conference matchups at the Bounce House. Two, they avoid Texas Tech and Utah — two of the three Big 12 teams that produced 11 or more wins in 2025. Most of the tougher matchups, including TCU, BYU, and Arizona State, are at home. Three of the four conference road opponents suffered losing seasons in 2025, potentially giving UCF more manageable games away from Orlando. That could be important, considering through three years, the Knights are 2-12 in Big 12 road contests.

Of course, tradition matters, and the home game circled by all UCF fans is the Friday night showdown against Baylor on Oct. 30. This will be Mission X, marking the 10th anniversary of the “Space Game” tradition. UCF typically saves its best for the Space Game, winning the first eight by an aggregate score of 405-159. However, Houston spoiled the perfect record last November in a 30-27 thriller. UCF aims to recapture its Space Game magic and avenge Baylor, which is 2-0 against the Knights in the past three seasons.

Bowl eligibility should be a reasonable goal for Scott Frost and Co. in 2026. By program standards, it’s overdue. UCF just missed bowl eligibility in consecutive years for the first time since 2003 and 2004, falling one game short of the postseason last year.

With an established quarterback in Alonza Barnett III, one of the Big 12’s more polished secondaries, and a healthy mix of returning talent and transfers along the defensive front, UCF has potential to be this year’s under-the-radar Big 12 riser — just like West Virginia in 2023, Arizona State in 2024, and Houston in 2025.

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