UCF is sending a fresh look to Big 12 Media Day, and the group heading to Kansas City gives a clear snapshot of how much Johnny Dawkins has reshaped the roster.
John Bol, Wofford transfer Cayden Vasko and Tarleton State transfer Dior Johnson will represent the Knights, with Dawkins set to use the event to lay out his plan for the season. Last year’s UCF reps were Riley Kugel, who could still return to college basketball, along with Devin Cambridge and Themus Fulks.
This is the second straight year Dawkins has had to rebuild around major turnover, and the challenge has been real: the Knights lost their top four scorers. Even so, UCF still managed a 20-10 record and reached the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, which was enough to punch the program’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament and snap a six-season drought.
One of the bigger storylines around Dawkins last season was the matchup with Mick Cronin and UCLA. The two coaches were familiar with each other from their American Conference days, and UCLA came out on top, sending UCF home in the first round.
Bol was a centerpiece of what UCF did well. He served as the team’s defensive anchor and its most efficient scorer, averaging 1.1 blocks while shooting 71.7% from the field on the season and 75.5% in conference play. The Ole Miss transfer averaged 3.4 shot attempts per game, which kept him from qualifying for ESPN’s Big 12 leaderboards because players need to appear in 75% of their team’s games and take at least five field goals per night.
Johnson is the headliner in this trio. The 6-foot-3 guard returned to UCF after one season at Tarleton State, bringing the kind of scoring punch the Knights badly need after losing so much offense. In 20 games for Tarleton State, he put up multiple 30-point and 40-point outings.
That production helped fuel a strong national reputation, too. Last month, College Basketball Report ranked Johnson as the 17th-best shooting guard in college basketball, placing him behind Louisville’s Seth Trimble.
Vasko gives UCF another important piece in the backcourt. The Wofford transfer earned All-SoCon third-team honors, led his team in assists and finished with the second-most steals for the Terriers. His all-around game should help replace some of the scoring, playmaking and effort the Knights lost.
In Other News...
Riley Kugel's UCF Return Suddenly Looks Very Real
Riley Kugels path back to UCF has suddenly opened in a real way after a legal ruling in Indiana left him eligible to keep playing college basketball, at least for now. The guard was the Knights leading scorer last season, and his status matters immediately for a program that would benefit from having one of its most proven offensive pieces back in the fold.
The NCAA tried to stay the injunction, but that request was denied, leaving Kugel in position to return to UCF for another season barring a major change. He has also spent time in the NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers, so his situation carries a little extra weight for the Knights, who now have a clearer sense that a key scorer may be back in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Suddenly Has No Margin Left In The Big 12
Midway through the 2026 Big 12 race, the conference picture is starting to sort itself out, and Central Florida is stuck on the wrong side of it. Arizona, Oklahoma State and Utah have played themselves into the conversation for the championship game, while UCF and Kansas State are trying to keep their seasons from sliding away entirely. The Knights struggles have been part of a wider conference story, but for a team trying to stay relevant in the league, every week now carries a little more weight.
The timing has made things even tougher, because the margin for error is gone and the schedule is only getting less forgiving. UCF has already spent most of the season looking for answers, and the latest setback against Oklahoma State only reinforced how hard it has been to find traction. With Houston visiting Oklahoma State and BYU set for Notre Dame on the near-term slate around the league, the Knights are left watching other teams shape the Big 12 race while they try to stop their own season from slipping further out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Has Another Pass Rusher Giving Fans Plenty To Brag About
Malachi Lawrence has already given UCF fans another pro-level talking point to point to, and now the Dallas Cowboys rookie has a milestone to go with it. In his first NFL sack, Lawrence flashed the same disruptive edge that made him such an appealing draft pick, and he kept showing up around the ball in a game that also featured a pass defensed and two tackles.
For a program that has spent years selling its ability to develop playmakers up front, Lawrence is the kind of name that travels well. Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones praised his character and growth at UCF, and Lawrence has made clear he takes pride in being a first-round pick from Orlando, a reminder that the Knights keep sending pass rushers into the league with plenty for their own fan base to brag about. [Read more 🡒]