Connor Meadows is making himself hard to leave off the field.
The veteran offensive lineman has moved up UCF’s depth chart from a rotational piece to a legitimate candidate to start, and this fall camp has found him working at center. That’s a change from spring, when he was lined up at guard, but it fits the kind of flexibility he’s shown over the last year.
Scott Frost said Meadows has handled center throughout camp as the Knights keep sorting out the best five blockers for Week 1 and the job of protecting quarterback Alonza Barnett III. The biggest adjustment for Meadows isn’t the physical work so much as the mental one: he’s now the player setting the line’s communication and making sure the snaps are clean.
"Once you've been on the line and know the blocking combinations and the calls, I don't think it's as hard as it seems," Frost told local reporters on Tuesday.
That versatility is part of what has pushed Meadows into the conversation. Last season, he logged 187 snaps at right guard, 33 at right tackle and four at left tackle.
He has also lined up at tight end, including a start there for UCF in the 30-3 loss to Baylor on Nov. 1.
That Baylor game also produced one of Frost’s more unusual play calls for Meadows. On a 4th-and-1 with less than 2:30 left in the first, the Knights tried a trick play with Meadows involved. Former quarterback Tayven Jackson dropped back under pressure, threw with too much air, and the result was a turnover on downs.
"He [Meadows] was the fourth read on that play," Frost said. "We thought with that personnel on the field, maybe we could surprise them with a pass.
They did a good job covering a few things. Connor was open early, and we didn't get him the ball."
Frost said those kinds of plays don’t come around often, but they remain part of the menu when UCF wants to catch an opponent off guard.
Meadows chose to return to UCF last December even as some teammates headed for the transfer portal, making him part of the 61% returning production from last season. Before arriving with the Knights, he earned Big South-OVC First Team All-Conference honors in 2024 at Tennessee State, which went 9-4 and finished second in the league.
Now, with his final college season approaching, Meadows looks positioned for a bigger role. If he holds the center job, he won’t just be another option on the line - he’ll be the one running the show in the middle.
In Other News...
UCF Still Has One Big Offensive Line Decision Before The Opener
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Preston Cushman has been moved around as the staff looks for the right fit, while Henry Tabansi appears settled on one edge. The bigger unresolved question now sits inside, where the center job is still drawing attention and the competition has narrowed to a handful of linemen trying to claim it before the opener. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs Future At QB And Safety Suddenly Feels Worth Watching
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Carr and Branch are the kind of players whose value may not be fully felt right away, but the early shape of their careers hints at why UCF kept them on the board. Carr is working his way into the quarterback conversation, while Branch has landed in a safety room with plenty of competition for snaps, which makes the next step especially important for both. For a program trying to build depth it can trust, how those two develop over the next year or two could matter more than their current place on the depth chart suggests. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Could Get A Big Linebacker Boost From Cole Kozlowski
Cole Kozlowskis first season at UCF gave the Knights exactly what they were hoping for when they brought him over from Colgate. The linebacker settled into a starting job late in the 2025 season and finished with All-Big 12 Third Team recognition, the kind of impact that can steady the middle of a defense and give a coaching staff a reliable piece to build around.
There is still a real layer of uncertainty around what comes next, though, and it has more to do with the legal landscape than the depth chart. If Kozlowski is ultimately available again in 2026, UCF would welcome back a proven defender, but linebacker coach Mark DOnofrio also made clear there would be work to do before any return turns into playing time, with conditioning and reintegration both part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]