Knights prepare to reset quarterback room after ‘messy year’

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Coaches love to drop the quote, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

For UCF, nothing could have prepared the Knights for the bad luck that would befall them and their quarterback room over the past two seasons. Injuries and poor performances led to eight different players taking snaps over the past 24 games.

When Scott Frost returned last season, he retooled the quarterback unit, bringing in a trio of transfers in Tayven Jackson, Cam Fancher and Davi Belfort, coupling them with returner Jacurri Brown.

Fancher earned the starting nod to open the season, only to suffer a broken collarbone early in the first half of the opener against Jacksonville State. Jackson would start 10 games, but would also be injured, as would Brown.

Heading into the season finale at No. 11 BYU, UCF had two healthy quarterbacks available in Jackson and Belfort.

UCF would finish 10th in the Big 12 in passing offense, averaging 220.8 yards per game.

“It was just a messy year for quarterbacks and I liked the kids we had a year ago,” Frost recently told the Orlando Sentinel. “Cam won the job out of camp and then got hurt in the first game. Tay played well for a while and then maybe not so well. Cam came back and then he got hurt again. Even a couple of our backups were in and out with injuries. It was just hard to get really good on offense with that kind of inconsistency.

“Everywhere you go in football, if something goes wrong, it’s the quarterback’s fault and the head coach’s fault. A lot of times, things get put on the quarterback that are out of their control, but the fingers always seem to point in that direction.”

Fancher, Jackson, Brown and Belfort all exited through the transfer portal in the offseason, giving Frost and his coaching staff a chance to rebuild the unit.

“We felt like we needed to just hit reset,” said Frost.

UCF went back to the transfer market in the offseason, signing former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III. Barnett, a multi-year starter, was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year last season after leading the Dukes to the College Football Playoff.

“When you’re evaluating somebody in the portal, it’s really easy to just get lost on the measurables, the height, speed and talent, but quarterback — more than any other position — is about the intangibles and that’s what sold me on Alonza,” Frost said. “Watching him and getting to know him and talking to people about him, his approach and his professionalism are elite.”

“We were missing some leadership from the quarterback position last year and some of that competitive fire and the ability to find a way to win regardless of the situation or defense. Those are things Alonzo will make us a lot better at.”

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The 5-foot-11 Barnett appeared in 30 games (27 starts) during his four seasons at JMU, leading the Dukes to a 21-6 mark. The redshirt senior has thrown for 5,433 yards with 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,075 yards and 23 touchdowns.

“It’s not all about the quarterback, but typically, when you’ve got a good one, there are a lot of things that work, even when you don’t call the perfect play, the right quarterbacks find a way to make it happen,” said Frost.

Frost believes the Knights have surrounded Barnett with enough experienced and talented players to be successful. That includes a quarterback unit with several transfers, including Keyone Jackson (FIU) and Kaleb Annett (Boise State), along with a pair of freshmen in Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr.

“I think Alonza will be really good for our young quarterbacks to see how somebody that’s done it at a high level just operates day to day, and hope that makes them better,” said Frost.

With spring camp around the corner, Frost is excited about the potential of his quarterbacks.

“I love our quarterback room right now. Right now, these guys are ahead of the game,” he said.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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