Sons of UCF contributors weigh in on QB, offense, and more

Photo Courtesy of UCF AA

A Sons of UCF Roundtable perspective

The UCF Knights prepare for the 2026 football season after a busy transfer portal period. Contributors who covered the team throughout last season at Sons of UCF share their thoughts about the adjustments and new additions to the roster.

This year’s panel includes beat reporter and Knights247 writer Andrew Cherico, To Your Point host Jeff Allen, Sons Today co-host Brian Peterson, Sons of UCF LIVE co-host Adam Eaton, Pegasus Podcast co-host Christian Simmons, and Sons of UCF lead reporter and Around The Kingdom co-host Trace Trylko.

Do you think UCF upgraded the quarterback (QB) room?

Allen: It is a massive upgrade alone, landing Barnett. A proven winner that brings great production with both his arm and legs. Bringing in two excellent recruits gives me hope that we can develop one for next season. Jenkins signing from FIU is a nice move to give us an experienced backup. Hopefully, we stay injury-free and do not have to play four QBs like the last two years, which is not a winning recipe.

Cherico: UCF certainly upgraded its QB room. There was just true inconsistency throughout last season and we saw flashes of good, but it never panned out. Barnett is a proven winner who’s the fully expected QB1 going into this season.

Eaton: Yes, I think the QB room overall got better with the moves UCF made. No disrespect to the 2025 QBs, but they were all guys who couldn’t outright win or keep starting jobs in their careers, or who hadn’t received many live-game reps. Alonza Barnett III is an established starter who not only has playing experience, but he has also proven to be a winner. Keyone Jenkins has also taken a ton of snaps in his career and has put up decent numbers in his playing time. I think both provide UCF an improved level of skill and experience over the 2025 QB room.

Peterson: Yes, and this time it’s a real upgrade, which we haven’t seen at least in a few seasons. Sure, UCF “lost” Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown, and Davi Belfort—which on paper isn’t ideal for a QB room that needed depth—but then turned around and landed Barnett. A QB who casually won Sun Belt Player of the Year, led James Madison University (JMU) to the College Football Playoff in 2025, and put up 5,400+ passing yards, 49 passing TDs, and over 1,000 rushing yards with 20+ rushing TDs in his career. That’s not a replacement, that’s an upgrade with a bow on top.

Then you add the recent Florida International University (FIU) transfer QB as a solid depth piece, and suddenly the room feels less like, “Please stay healthy or we’re cooked,” and more like, “We’ve got multiple guys who can actually run the offense.”

And let’s not forget the two promising young freshman signees coming out of high school: Rocco Marriott—also a snag from the jaws of JMU—and Dante Carr, who both have size and strong arms. Hopefully, they’ll stick around and learn Frost’s system before being called upon to play. So far, I’m pleased.

Simmons: It was a wildly low bar to clear, but yes, this room is an obvious upgrade over last year’s thrown-together group. Barnett is a proven commodity who will immediately elevate the offense, with Jenkins providing valuable—and much-needed—depth as well. Behind those two are a pair of promising true freshmen who should be in contention for the QB job in 2027.

Trylko: Yes. Barnett is a decided upgrade over the revolving door of Quarterbacks a season ago. Jenkins has played a lot of football and if needed, should be able to step in as a backup. How about good health for the QBs in 26! Looking forward to seeing the development of the freshman.

Now that the portal is closed, which position group gives you the most concern?

Allen: I’d say the defensive backfield, which had the biggest attrition.

Cherico: Offensive line is still the biggest question mark. We have to trust AJ Blazek got the guys he needed to fill out the line, but given it was the biggest concern last season, it needs to build back trust so it can be better moving forward.

Eaton: Pick a line, any line. Both the offensive and defensive lines are areas where it’s hard to say UCF definitively improved. But, for the purposes of this question, I’ll focus on the offensive line. Portal additions Henry Tabansi and Brady Wayburn have played a lot of snaps, so you at least know they bring starting experience to the group. For the other additions, Tyler Gibson had played some but wasn’t a consistent starter, and Cooper Terpstra never fully cracked the starting rotation either at his last stop. UCF will also have to rely on some returnees—Connor Meadows and Preston Cushman—or guys who didn’t play a ton last season—Justin Royes and Jacob Maiva—to round out the unit. Plus, I’m not sure if they have a natural center in this group.

The other unknown here is how well new offensive line coach AJ Blazek can coach up this unit and get them on the same page. All of this leaves me wondering if this is a Big 12 capable line that can help drive this offense forward. Frost, Blazek, and co. have nine months until the opening game to make us all believers.

Peterson: The offensive line, and it’s not even a dramatic answer. It’s just the honest, slightly‑traumatized one. Yes, UCF added pieces. And yes, some of the young guys are developing. But this group still feels like the part of the roster where you keep checking the depth chart the way you check your bank account after holiday shopping: hoping for the best and preparing for disappointment. You know exactly what I mean by that.

Last season, the Knights had stretches where the run game looked like it was being played in quicksand. Our running backs (RBs) struggled behind an O-line that couldn’t open any holes. And the pass protection wasn’t exactly a spa day for the quarterbacks. Losing a couple of multi‑year veterans won’t help, and while the portal additions bring some size and potential, “potential” doesn’t block Big 12 edge rushers. We’ll see.

Simmons: There was a lot to love about this portal cycle for UCF, but the EDGE situation has me a bit worried. Sincere Edwards and Isaiah Nixon both proved they could be valuable contributors last season, but I have to admit that I’m skeptical of either of them blossoming into a star on the level of Nyjalik Kelly or Malachi Lawrence. Bruno Dall should fit in nicely there, but the other portal pickups at that spot feel very speculative.

Trylko: Broken record from me: Offensive and Defensive lines. Do the Knights have BIG 12 caliber linemen? Enough depth? TBD.

What do you feel better about with the 2026 team compared to 2025?

Allen: I feel way better with Coach Frost getting a full offseason to work and Barnett bringing us a much-improved offense with more scoring.

Cherico: I feel better about the continuity of this roster. Many of the great players last season are returning and it’s clear to see they’ll be major impact players alongside the 31 players added this cycle.

Eaton: The back end of the defense was solid for the Knights in 2025, and I like that they have retained the overwhelming majority of the key players from those units. While losing Cole Kozlowski and Phillip Dunnam will hurt, I think the portal additions at linebacker and safety are solid and can hopefully fill those shoes.

Peterson: The “easy” answer is that it FEELS like the UCF’s offensive identity might finally be taking shape. Last year felt like Frost was trying to build IKEA furniture with mismatched pieces. We saw flashes of his vision, but the pieces weren’t quite fitting together. We move closer to that vision for 2026. The QB room should be legitimately better and the defense has continuity moving into the 2026 season.

Simmons: The offense as a whole feels lightyears ahead of where we were heading into 2025. There’s a case to be made that UCF should be significantly improved at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and in the trenches. In addition to the many strong pieces they brought in—wide receiver (WR) Josh Derry in particular—key weapons from last year like Dylan Wade and Duane Thomas were retained as well.

Trylko: UCF football head coach Scott Frost and his staff have a full season at UCF, retaining some pieces to build upon and a favorable home schedule.

Which game on the schedule are you most excited about?

Allen: I’m going to say Arizona State. A late-season matchup with what will be one of the conference contenders. And if Mikey Keene is the quarterback for the Sun Devils, that definitely adds some spice to this game.

Cherico: Big 12 home-opener against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (TCU). This will serve as the true first benchmark game for the Knights and we’ll see about this team’s ability to potentially compete in the Big 12.

Eaton: I’m not sure I am “excited” about the game, but the matchup with the Brigham Young University Cougars (BYU) will be interesting for UCF. I think it’s clear BYU is at the upper echelon of the conference, so I can’t wait to see how UCF fares getting them at home in the middle of the season.

Peterson: There are a few that jump out at me. The easy answer is the home game against TCU on September 26, which is the Big 12 season opener and it’s in the Acrisure Bounce House. It’s the first real “measuring stick” game of the season. But if we’re talking pure entertainment value, the trip to Colorado on November 28 is right up there. Late‑season game, altitude, weird vibes, and a chance for redemption after the University of Colorado Buffaloes made us look like an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team on Fox Big Noon. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the early road game to Pittsburgh in September (I hear their D-line is already faking injuries – IYKYK) and the game against BYU for Homecoming.

Simmons: The fun thing about the Big 12 is that I have absolutely no idea! It feels like every year we throw 16 teams in a hat, shake it around, and pick out which four or five are going to contend for the conference title at random. For now, I’ll go with BYU. If the Knights take care of business in September and early October, that could become UCF’s first Big 12 showdown with real stakes.

Trylko: Colorado on the road because I have family in the area and it’s being played over Thanksgiving weekend. Home games: TCU – sets the tone as the BIG 12 opener and Baylor – revenge!

If you had to guess right now, does UCF get 6 or more wins in 2026?

Allen: I have them winning eight, which includes breaking through with a couple of Big 12 road wins.

Cherico: I would say yes, UCF is going to get over 6 wins this season. I could see seven to eight as a realistic mark, of course, pending any injury. This roster appears to be better than last season.

Eaton: I think this has to be at least a six-win team, but it won’t be easy getting there. The offense will need to establish an identity and be able to consistently put points on the board, and the defense will need to play near the level they established in 2025. Looking at the schedule, I think UCF has to win two of the first three conference games (TCU, Houston, Ok State), and then they need to win three of the four remaining home games. Any wins on the road, which have been hard to come by for UCF, would be icing on the cake.

Overall, I think this regime needs to show true growth and development of the program this season. No more excuses, year zero, 70 new players, or one or two plays away from being good talk will cut it. Making a bowl game needs to be the minimum of expectations.

Peterson: I predicted the Knights to go 5-7 last season. A few ball bounces in a different direction and that could have changed, but it didn’t. So, yeah, at this VERY early stage, I’ll say we win six or maybe more. In conference play, we lucked out this year with more home games than road games, something we didn’t have in 2025. On paper, the 2026 roster seems more functional than the 2025 version and the vibes are high for a better 2026 season. Fingers crossed!

Simmons: If they don’t get to six, then we’re going to be having some very grim conversations this time next year. But the good news is that I do think they will get there. Based on what we know now, there isn’t a single game on the schedule that is flat-out unwinnable like Texas Tech or BYU last season. I think the Knights made the moves they needed this portal cycle to finally put together a competitive run in conference play.

Trylko: Yes, and it needs to be seven or more, or the restless UCF fan base may lose confidence in Frost 2.0.