UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is already on the radar before the season even kicks off.
Barnett was one of 30 quarterbacks named Thursday morning to the 2026 Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List, giving the Knights’ new starter an early national nod ahead of his first year in Orlando.
Barnett arrived at UCF through the transfer portal this offseason after starring at James Madison, where the Whitsett, North Carolina native helped guide the Dukes to a College Football Playoff berth last season. His final run at James Madison was loaded with production, and the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year put up the kind of numbers that made him impossible to ignore: 216 completions on 370 attempts for 2,806 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He also added 589 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground.
Over his time in a Dukes uniform, Barnett finished with 5,433 passing yards, 49 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Now at UCF, Barnett is stepping into a role that comes with expectations, and he’s embracing that challenge. During fall camp, he told Knights247, "I'm looking forward to continuing to raise the standard of this program, really carry Coach Frost's vision of the program that the coaches talk about, and spread that in the locker room," Barnett told Knights247 during fall camp. "I think we have the guys-they not only have the attitude, but the willingness to work, and we all love each other and just continue to build that camaraderie throughout the year and win some games."
That confidence has shown up in camp, too. Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper offered a strong endorsement of Barnett’s approach, saying, "He's a guy that never gets too high or never gets too low.
There's always something when I get back and watch the tape that you see on film where it's like, 'Okay, that was really good that I maybe didn't necessarily see when we were out there on the field.' So you got to be process-driven.
I think he's just gotten more and more comfortable every day. He doesn't make the same mistake twice, which is really good for the quarterback position."
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award goes to the nation’s top college quarterback and calls itself the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Its midseason watch list is set to come out Tuesday, November 3.
UCF opens the 2026 season on Thursday, September 3 against Bethune-Cookman in Orlando. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
In Other News...
UCFs Linebacker Picture Just Got Much Murkier Before The Opener
The linebacker group at UCF was already a position to watch, and it got a lot more complicated with the season opener nearing. Cole Kozlowski, who had been granted a fifth year of eligibility by a U.S. District Court judge, is now ruled ineligible to return after the NCAA obtained a stay from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The uncertainty leaves the Knights trying to sort out a key piece of their defense with little time left before games start counting.
Coach Scott Frost has made it clear the situation is still fluid, which fits a roster that has already seen some help arrive through the transfer portal to soften the impact if Kozlowski is ultimately unavailable. For now, UCF is left waiting on what comes next while preparing as if the answer could still shift, and that kind of uncertainty is never ideal when a team is trying to settle its linebacker rotation before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Needs A Healthy Horace Lockett More Than Ever This Fall
Horace Locketts return gives UCF something it badly needs on the interior, especially after he missed most of last season with a torn pectoral muscle. The defensive tackle is back for his final college campaign and is expected to battle for the starting nose tackle job, a role the Knights need solidified if they want more consistency up front.
Locketts offseason also has put him on a more visible pro path, with a spot on the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 drawing notice around the program. His journey to this point has not been straightforward, and the reason he chose to stay in Orlando when he had other options says plenty about what this season means to him and to UCF, even as the bigger question is how much he can give them now that he is healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Lewis Carter Is Becoming The Standard For UCF's Defense
Lewis Carter has spent the offseason collecting the kind of recognition that usually follows a breakthrough year, not just another preseason. The UCF linebacker, who paced the Knights in tackles last season, has been placed on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List after posting a career-high 92 stops and earning a spot on the leagues radar with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and preseason second-team nods from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
For UCF, the broader significance goes beyond the individual honors. Carter is starting to look like the standard by which the Knights measure their defense, the player opposing offenses have to account for first and the one his own team can point to when talking about consistency and production. The next step is where the real pressure comes in, because the watch lists are in place and the accolades are stacking up, but the season will determine whether Carter can turn that status into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]