UCF’s new starting quarterback is already drawing national attention before he has taken a snap in a Knights uniform.
Alonza Barnett III was named to the preseason watch list for the Manning Award, one of 40 quarterbacks in the running for the honor. The list comes out before his debut game at UCF, and it adds another line to what has already been a busy preseason for the transfer.
The Manning Award, created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, recognizes the college football achievements of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning Family. It stands out from the other major quarterback awards because postseason performances count in the final decision. A voting panel made up of national media members and the Mannings will choose the winner after the postseason.
Barnett was one of eight Big 12 quarterbacks included on the watch list.
He’s also stacking up plenty of preseason recognition beyond this latest nod. Barnett has already landed on the watch lists for the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl, the Maxwell Award, and the Davey O'Brien Award.
UCF brought Barnett in through the transfer portal this offseason after his run at James Madison University, where the Whitsett, North Carolina native helped guide the Dukes to the College Football Playoff last season.
His final season with James Madison was a big one. Barnett earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors in 2025 after completing 216 of 370 passes for 2,806 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He also added 589 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground. Over his time in a Dukes uniform, he totaled 5,433 passing yards, 49 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions and 23 rushing touchdowns.
That résumé has carried over into camp, where offensive coordinator Steve Cooper said Barnett has handled the pressure well as fall camp wrapped up last week.
"He's got a good demeanor. It's our job as coaches to try to get him excited, because what's going to happen in a game is there's going to be some natural passion that comes out, a heightened sense of stress in a good way or a bad way. So we're trying to emulate that in practice and put him in situations, and I think he's done a really nice job of handling that," Cooper noted of his starting quarterback.
UCF opens the 2026 season on Thursday, September 3 against Bethune-Cookman in Orlando. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
In Other News...
UCFs Backfield Battle Just Got More Interesting This Summer
Summer is usually when depth charts start to take shape, and at UCF, a couple of familiar names are helping drive that conversation ahead of the 2026 season. Braeden Marshall is back for his fourth year and remains in line to handle the nickelback spot, while Taevion Swint is working his way into the picture at running back after a setback that slowed his development early on. It is the kind of backfield and secondary continuity that can quietly matter when camp opens, especially for a team trying to sort out who can be trusted in bigger roles.
Swints path is the one to watch because the staff has already shown plenty of belief in what he can become. A redshirt freshman now, he has been projected into the running back rotation, and coaches came away encouraged by what he put on display during spring practice. Marshall gives the defense a steady presence on the perimeter, but Swint brings the more intriguing offseason storyline, with his return to health and his early flashes leaving just enough room for the next step to become one of the summers more interesting competitions. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former UCF Standouts Suddenly Face A Tense NFL Wait
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Now the wait begins, and it is the kind of anxious limbo plenty of undrafted or fringe NFL players know well. Neither Knight made the Packers initial 53-man roster, but there is still a path for both to remain in the organization if they come through waivers and land on the practice squad, where Green Bay can keep developing them and have them ready for a call-up if injuries start to create openings. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Frost Wants UCF Locked In With Opener Questions Looming
UCF has spent the week trying to make the final leap from camp mode to game mode as it gets set to open against Bethune-Cookman at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium. Scott Frost has stressed that part of the challenge now is sharpening the details that matter once the ball is live, and starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III has sounded ready for the first test of the season.
The Knights will, however, have to manage a few personnel questions as kickoff approaches. Edge rusher Bruno Dall is out because of an injury, and a couple of other pieces have been working through camp issues, leaving the staff with some decisions still hanging over the first depth chart of the year. [Read more 🡒]