UCF HC Scott Frost Shares Update on Backup QB Following Alonza Barnett Injury
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The UCF Knights have a problem. After just two games, starting quarterback Alonza Barnett went down with what head coach Scott Frost describes as a “fairly significant” hamstring injury.
Now, Frost has a new challenge. For the second season in a row, UCF is going to be dealing with injuries at the quarterback position. In 2025, that meant playing four different quarterbacks. Hopefully, in 2026, that’s going to mean playing one backup until Barnett is able to return.
“Mostly I feel bad for Alonza. I felt like he was getting more and more comfortable in our scheme. He did some really good things in the second half. I loved seeing him running around. It looked like he was just playing football and making some throws and runs late. We brought him here for a reason, because we believed in him, and it’s sad to see something like this happen,” Frost said.
“It’s two years in a row we’ve had a quarterback hurt early in the year, and that’s just bad luck. But that’s football. That’s what happens in this game. You hope it doesn’t happen to you, but mostly I just feel bad for Alonza.”
In the game against Pitt, UCF put in Keyone Jenkins for the closing moments of the game. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s starting in Week 3, though.
UCF Knights HC Scott Frost Updated the Backup QB Position
It would stand to reason that Keyone Jenkins is going to be the first option at backup quarterback for UCF. However, when asked about that, Scott Frost did his best to remain vague for the time being.
“Yeah, we have a lot of guys I think are capable,” Scott Frost said on Monday. “We’re kind of putting together a game plan right now. We have a plan for that. I don’t really want to address it right now. We haven’t even had a chance to talk to the team or anything yet. So we’ll have a plan, and we have a lot of guys that are ready to go.”
Jenkins is a transfer from FIU where he spent three seasons as the starter. Very experienced, he left tied for second all-time in touchdown passes in FIU history.
Beyond Jenkins, UCF also has Kaleb Annett, a transfer from Boise State, and freshman Rocco Marriott, who could realistically get some playing time. Notably, Marriott is also the highest-ranked quarterback recruit in program history.
All three quarterbacks played in the Week 1 win over Bethune-Cookman, backing up Barnett. Jenkins was 4 for 4 passing for 42 yards and a touchdown. Neither Marriott nor Annett were allowed to throw a pass amid that blowout. Marriott did rush for 18 yards and a touchdown while Annett ran for 9 yards.
“We found out last night, so we’re getting a game plan ready,” Frost said of playing multiple quarterbacks. “We’re focused on this game. Like I said, we still have to talk to the team and everything about what the plan is.”
What’s Ahead for UCF?
The UCF Knights can’t afford to lick their wounds after losing in Week 2 to Pitt and losing Barnett to injury. They’re going to be back home on September 19th to wrap up the non-conference slate against Georgia State.
Georgia State is a Sun Belt school that went 1-11 a season ago but did open up 2-0 in 2026. Still, UCF is a much more talented team overall and will enter as a massive favorite. It’s after that game when things get tricky, as Big 12 play kicks off right away after Week 3.
UCF won’t have a bye week until the middle of October. So, following the Georgia State game, it’s going to be a run of three tough Big 12 opponents, including TCU, Houston, and Oklahoma State. After the bye, things don’t get much easier, as they immediately host BYU. So, Frost knows he needs to lean on his veterans.
“Yeah, I think experience helps you no matter what. We have a very old, experienced defense. I think that showed up in a big way Saturday,” Frost said. “We have a more experienced offense, but we’re still young in a few spots. I think that showed up a little bit Saturday. The more experience you have, the better off you are. Luckily, we have a couple guys that have played some football, and I feel great about what we have. It’s obviously not the position that we expected or wanted to be in, but we’ve got to get ready to play a tough team.”
For now, though, the focus is on Georgia State and, more importantly, finding a replacement for Barnett.
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