A new basketball sits on Johnny Dawkins’ desk in his UCF office, and it says plenty about where the Knights are headed.
Half white and stamped with the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament logo, the ball is a fresh keepsake from UCF’s latest trip to March Madness - and a reminder that the program has already moved on to the next climb. After nearly eight seasons away from the NCAA Tournament, the Knights got back there with a roster that was completely rebuilt and a Big 12 schedule that offered little margin for error.
That run ended with a first-round loss to UCLA, and Dawkins said the emotional snap from one season to the next is real.
“It’s always tough,” Dawkins recently told the Orlando Sentinel. “You work so hard for those moments and in that tournament, there are no do-overs. You either do it and keep going or it’s over and the season ends right there.”
Then the offseason machine kicks in. For UCF, that meant another major roster reset, though not quite as extreme as the one before. Dawkins and his staff had to account for the departures of senior starting guards Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel, starting forward Jamichael Stillwell, reserve forward Devan Cambridge and reserve guard George Beale Jr.
Starting small forward Jordan Burks and guards Chris Johnson, Kris Parker, Zach Johnson, and Poopha Warakulnukroh also entered the transfer portal.
But there were some important holdovers, too. John Bol, who started every game at center, is back.
So are reserve guards Carmelo Pacheco and Tanner Jones and reserve center Elijah Hulsewe. Point guard Arturo Dean, a midseason addition, also returned.
For Dawkins, that group matters. UCF has had to replace 50 players over the past five seasons, so even a small pocket of continuity counts.
“Last year, we really didn’t have very much continuity at all,” he said. “We’ve got 11 new guys this year, but at least we return a starter (Bol) from the Big 12 that had success. We return a guy like Pacheco, who played a key role in what we were doing and we get Arturo Dean, who didn’t play but practiced with us and was a part of the whole experience … and Elijah, who has been with us from a walk-on to a scholarship player.
“Bringing back four guys who actually played for us does give us some continuity. We’re not starting from scratch like last year.”
The rest of the rebuild came through the portal and the freshman class. UCF added seven transfers: guards Cayden Vasko, Dior Johnson and Mister Dean; forwards Lewis Walker, Churchill Abass, Isaiah Malone and Jason Asemota. The Knights also signed three freshmen: forwards Ladarius Givan and Dylan Mann and guard Jahda Swann.
The approach is straightforward. Dawkins wants a roster built for the Big 12, a league that demands size, toughness and the ability to hold up every night.
“We have to prepare ourselves for this conference and what I’ve been learning over the years is we need Big 12 bodies,” Dawkins said. “We need a certain type of look out there in order to compete against the physicality that we’re going to face on a nightly basis.
“I thought this past year we were close to being what we want physically, so we want to continue to build on that again this year.”
UCF’s 2024-25 season gave the staff a clear blueprint. The Knights set a program record with nine Big 12 wins and beat No.
17 Kansas, No. 11 Texas Tech and No.
19 BYU. They also beat Cincinnati 66-65 in the conference tournament, a result that helped push them into the NCAA field.
Dawkins, 62, said his staff played a major role in identifying the right fits and getting them ready for the grind of an 18-game conference schedule. This offseason, the emphasis has also been on tightening things up defensively.
UCF scored 80.7 points per game last season and allowed 78.4. Dawkins said his teams have been allowing just under 70 points per game since he arrived in 2016, and he wants that balance back.
“We’ve been really good the last couple of years offensively, but I don’t think we’ve been who we’ve been traditionally defensively,” said Dawkins. “We’ve got to find that balance.”
The next few weeks are about blending all of it together - the transfers, the freshmen, the returnees, the different skill sets and personalities. UCF also locked Dawkins in with a new 3-year contract extension that runs through the 2028-29 season.
“I always coach the same way, like every year is my last year,” Dawkins said. “I’m grateful to our president, foremost, and athletic director Terry Mohajir for believing in me and allowing me to do what I do.
“I love UCF and I want us to realize our potential and accomplish things that we can accomplish.”
In Other News...
UCF No. 55 Reveal Puts Center Battle And Future Depth In Focus
Spring practice has already given UCF a better feel for what it may have in Jacob Maiava, a true center who is pushing into the mix for a starting job. The Knights like the athletic profile he brings, and his background only adds to the intrigue, with a family tree that has produced high-level football talent. For a team trying to sort out the middle of its offensive line, Maiava is the kind of player whose development can shape both the present and the depth chart beyond it.
Noah Mercer brings a different kind of upside to the 2026 roster, arriving as a defensive tackle with the kind of high school rsum that suggests there is more to come. He was a standout on defense at Key West and also showed off his athleticism in track and field, making him another name worth tracking as UCF builds out its future front. Between a center battle on one side of the ball and a promising interior defender on the other, the Knights have a couple of new pieces that could matter sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Former UCF Duo Just Got A Tough First NBA Audition
Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks took their first step into the NBA Summer League spotlight with the Los Angeles Clippers in Las Vegas, a small but notable milestone for two former UCF standouts now trying to carve out a path at the next level. Kugel arrived in Orlando as a highly regarded transfer and Fulks left with Third-Team All-Big 12 recognition, so both brought real college credentials with them into a setting where every possession is a tryout.
Their debut, though, came with the kind of limited run that often defines the first night of Summer League for young guards. The Clippers are back at it against the Utah Jazz, and with the team coming off a rough offensive showing, there should be a better chance for both ex-Knights to get a longer look and show whether their UCF production can translate when the minutes start to open up. [Read more 🡒]
Alonza Barnett Just Raised The Stakes For UCFs Offense
Alonza Barnett III arrived at UCF with the kind of rsum that naturally gets attention, even before he takes a snap in a Knights uniform. A transfer quarterback with College Football Playoff experience, Barnett has already drawn praise from Scott Frost for both his leadership and the dual-threat element he brings to the offense, giving UCF a different look as it tries to sharpen its attack.
The intrigue only grows from there, because Barnett has yet to get on the field for the Knights, leaving the staff to talk more about what he can add than what he has already shown in Orlando. Still, the national buzz is real, with On3's Brett McMurphy slotting him No. 7 among Big 12 quarterbacks, a sign that UCF may have brought in a player whose ceiling could change the conversation around the offense once he is ready. [Read more 🡒]