With 26 days left before UCF opens the 2026 season on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman, the Knights’ countdown brings in two players wearing the same number: running back Duke Watson and defensive back Elijah Keys.
Watson comes to Orlando after two seasons at Louisville, and the Georgia native already has a track record that jumps off the page. As a true freshman, he made an immediate impact by averaging 8.9 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns.
His second year was slowed by injuries, but he still managed to start once in the seven games he played. In that stretch, he rushed 49 times for 158 yards and a touchdown and also added six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
UCF running backs coach Jimmy Beal had high praise for Watson after an April 24 practice, calling him "a slasher," and saying he was "explosive and dynamic" with the ball in his hands. Scott Frost echoed that confidence on May 5, saying Watson was "at the top of the room" with Tavion Swint. Frost also told the Knights’ Big 12 Football Preview show at Big 12 Media Days that Watson "fits what we do really well."
If Watson stays healthy, he looks positioned to play a major role for UCF early in the season. That said, Frost has also described running back as one of the deepest groups on the roster, which means there’s real competition behind him. Tavion Swint, transfer Landen Chambers, returner Agyeman Addae, and true freshmen Kaj Baker and Arthur Lewis IV are all in the mix if Watson doesn’t seize the job outright.
Keys is a different kind of addition. He committed to UCF in March, picking the Knights over Pittsburgh, Tulane, South Carolina, Memphis and South Florida.
His UCF Athletics profile says he is the son of a Marine, and it also notes a strong senior season at Duncan U. Fletcher High School, where he had five interceptions and earned defensive MVP honors.
For now, though, Keys faces an uphill climb for snaps. UCF’s defensive back room returns most of its key pieces from last season, with Phillip Dunnam the main exception, and the group also added experienced FCS transfers Ty Bartrum, Matt Irwin and Jailen Duffie. That makes Keys’ path to a meaningful role in 2026 a tough one as a true freshman.
In Other News...
UCF Could Hand TCU The Big 12 Setback No One Sees Coming
Saturdays trip to Orlando may not look like the flashiest Big 12 assignment on TCUs schedule, but it has enough weight to shape how the rest of the league race feels for the Horned Frogs. Sonny Dykes team has not always handled early conference road games smoothly, and UCF has made itself tougher to deal with at home, which is why this one has a sneaky way of feeling bigger than its billing suggests.
TCU also has to resist looking ahead to BYU the following week, because slipping in a spot like this can create a quick turn in the standings and the perception of a season. UCF does not need the spotlight to matter here, only the kind of home-field edge and timely execution that can turn an overlooked matchup into the Big 12 setback nobody saw coming. [Read more 🡒]
John Bol Could Decide How Dangerous UCF Becomes Again
John Bol gave UCF exactly the kind of interior presence it needed during its recent NCAA Tournament run, starting all 33 games and giving the Knights a true rim protector at 7-foot-2. He finished with a 71.7% field-goal percentage and averaged 1.1 blocks per game, a combination that made him one of the more efficient and impactful pieces of the lineup even when the rest of the offense came and went.
The bigger question now is how much more dangerous UCF can become with Bol back in the middle for another season. His size and shot-blocking already raise the floor for a team trying to build on that tournament appearance, and the next step is turning that reliable presence into something even harder to game-plan against as the Knights look to stay in the mix again. [Read more 🡒]