With 35 days left until UCF opens the 2026 season on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman, the Knights’ countdown to kickoff turns to running back Agyeman Addae.
Addae, better known as “A.G.,” arrived at UCF in 2025 as a walk-on and quickly carved out a role in a backfield that needed help. He’s the son of Jahmile Addae, the Miami Dolphins’ new cornerbacks coach, who played cornerback at West Virginia from 2001 to 2005.
Jahmile Addae’s coaching path has taken him through defensive backs and secondary jobs at Arizona, Minnesota, West Virginia, Georgia and Miami (FL) before he reached the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 2024. Before that stretch, he also coached running backs at Cincinnati in 2011 and 2012 - the same position his son now plays for UCF.
Agyeman Addae said after an April 24 practice that he talks football with his father “all the time,” whether he’s asking about a specific play or what he could have done better.
Addae got his chance last season because injuries hit the running back room. He appeared in eight games off the bench and finished with 12 carries for 50 yards, seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, plus a four-yard passing touchdown.
“Man, I'm more than happy,” Addae said. “It was fun to get in there and show them, like, what I could do, and show the world what I could do.”
UCF running backs coach Jimmy Beal described Addae as a “special kid,” pointing to his “ability to understand the game and then play multiple positions.” Beal also said the sophomore has become “a true leader” in the room because he already knows last season’s system.
That experience matters now, because the competition in Orlando is a lot deeper. Duke Watson and Landen Chambers bring transfer experience, while four-star recruit Taevion Swint is back after missing the entire 2025 season with an injury. If Addae wants the starting job in 2026, he’ll need a strong fall practice to separate himself.
Even if he doesn’t win that job, Addae still looks like a player who can matter. His versatility gives UCF options, and Scott Frost’s past success with a running-back-by-committee approach during his first stint with the Knights suggests there’s room for him to make plays coming off the bench.
Look for Addae to get his share of touches out of the backfield in 2026.
In Other News...
UCFs Most Crucial Fall Camp Battle Could Shape The Entire Season
With Alonza Barnett III entrenched as UCFs starter, the real intrigue in fall camp is happening one spot down the depth chart, where the Knights are sorting out who would be next if the season ever needed a backup quarterback. The group has a familiar veteran presence in Keyone Jenkins, who arrived with starting experience from FIU, alongside Kaleb Annett and a pair of freshmen in Dante Carr and Rocco Marriott. It is the kind of room Scott Frost likes to have, one built on mobility and enough arm talent to keep the offense from changing too much if the No. 1 quarterback has to come off the field.
Frost has sounded encouraged by the upside of the younger passers, and that only adds another layer to a competition that is about more than just the next man up. Jenkins brings the safest rsum, while the freshmen arrive with the sort of high school production that suggests they could be part of UCFs future sooner rather than later. The question now is how the Knights balance immediate reliability with long-term development, and whether this battle settles into a clear pecking order before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs NFL Pipeline Just Got Another Major Boost
UCFs growing reputation as an NFL feeder line picked up another jolt this week, with a deep group of Knights landing on the 2027 East-West Shrine Bowl watch list. The postseason all-star game has become a meaningful stop for draft hopefuls, and for a program that has spent years selling development as much as wins, this kind of recognition matters. It also reflects the mix UCF has built on the roster, from transfers who arrived with proven production to returning players who have steadily turned into pro prospects.
Among the names drawing attention is quarterback Alonza Barnett III, whose background and production at James Madison already made him a familiar figure to evaluators, and tight end Dylan Wade, who set the programs standard at his position with a breakout season. The list also includes several other Knights whose paths have been shaped by everything from previous big-game experience to steady year-over-year growth, giving UCF a broad cross-section of talent in the same conversation. The bigger question now is how many of those players can turn a watch-list nod into a real springboard when the Shrine Bowl process gets moving. [Read more 🡒]