With preseason camp nearly over, UCF is still sorting out one of the few unresolved pieces before next week’s depth chart comes out: who backs up quarterback Alonza Barnett III.
Barnett’s role is settled. The transfer from James Madison, a two-year starter there, gives the Knights a clear No. 1 heading into Thursday night’s opener against Bethune-Cookman. He led the Dukes to a Sun Belt conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season.
The real competition is behind him, where UCF has spent spring and fall camp sorting through senior Keyone Jenkins, redshirt sophomore Kaleb Annett and true freshmen Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr. Coach Scott Frost said he’s not ready to lock in a final answer yet.
“Kaleb had a great spring and a really good fall camp. I’m comfortable with his abilities right now,” said Frost.
“That being said, Rocco’s done great. Lights (Jenkins) has done great.
Dante has done great when he’s got the reps. There are a lot of guys that are there that I trust.”
Jenkins entered spring as the likeliest front-runner. The 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback was a three-year starter at Florida International and has thrown for 6,713 yards with 42 touchdowns and 25 interceptions for the Panthers.
Annett arrived at UCF in January after two seasons at Boise State, and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper said the quarterback he sees now is not the same one he first knew.
“The biggest difference is he got bigger, faster, stronger and he’s got experience now,” said Cooper, who spent the 2024 season as an offensive analyst at Boise State. “He’s still the same dude that I remember.
A great teammate and a guy that’s got a lot of good leadership traits. If you know Kaleb, he’s never had a bad day and those are the guys you want to be around.”
Marriott, listed at 6-4 and 220 pounds, has also made a strong impression during camp. Still, Cooper said the job comes with a steep learning curve for the younger quarterbacks.
“These guys are younger and they have to get it right the first time,” Cooper explained. “That’s the challenge of being a backup quarterback. You’re never going to get enough reps to be perfect unless you get it right the first time.
“They’re processing a heck of a lot more information than maybe they had to 10 or 15 years ago, and they’re taking it all in stride.”
Barnett, meanwhile, has already become a steady presence in the room. He said the quarterbacks lean on one another, and that fits with the message he’s getting from quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton.
“Sometimes I’ll get questions and it’s my job, in general, just as a believer of faith, to try to be a servant as much as possible,” said Barnett. “That’s something that KZ (quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton) harps on: the cohesiveness of the room. We’re all mentors to each other.”
Frost said he likes the way the group has come together over the past eight months, especially with Barnett clearly established at the top.
“It’s just the professional nature that they approach things with and the talent we have in that room. I feel great about that room,” he said. “It helps that we have a clear-cut number one, and I think that takes pressure off other guys to just take their time and improve.”
In Other News...
UCF Is Putting A Major Orlando Brand At The Heart Of Game Day
UCF Athletics is adding a familiar Orlando name to the center of its football presentation, announcing a multi-year partnership with Westgate Resorts that makes the company the programs Official Vacation Resort Partner. The deal is another sign of how tightly the Knights continue to tie their game-day brand to the Central Florida business community, while giving Westgate a more visible platform tied to one of the regions most recognizable sports settings.
The most noticeable part of the agreement will come at midfield inside the Acrisure Bounce House beginning with the 2026 season, where the Westgate Resorts logo will be prominent on the field. For UCF, it is a sponsorship move with local roots and national reach, the kind of partnership that can shape the look and feel of home Saturdays while reinforcing the programs place in the Orlando market. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Gets One More Shot With A Defensive Leader Fans Know Well
Braeden Marshall has already been part of the UCF story for a while, which is part of what makes his decision stand out. The veteran cornerback and hometown product has been a steady presence for the Knights since his freshman year, and he was again in the middle of things in the recent win over Oklahoma State. Off the field, he has kept that local connection strong too, hosting a youth football camp back in his hometown and staying visible in the community that knows him best.
For UCF, getting another season from a player like Marshall matters because it keeps a familiar defensive leader in the room and on the field. For Marshall, it also extends a run that has already made him one of the more recognizable faces in the program, with the chance to add one more chapter to a career that already carries some meaning in Central Florida. The only real question now is how much more he can still give the Knights with one last year ahead. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Freshmen Give Scott Frost An Intriguing Early Debate
Scott Frosts rebuild at UCF has plenty of familiar moving parts, but the freshman class is starting to make its own case for immediate attention. Running back Kaj Baker, safety TJ Branch, wide receiver Tyren Hornes and cornerback Amarion Queen all arrive with College Football 27 ratings of 70 or better, giving the Knights a young core that already looks capable of factoring into the conversation this season.
Baker and Branch sit at the top of that group on the games ratings sheet, and Hornes has also done enough in early camp to keep his name in the mix for playing time. For a program trying to regain traction, that kind of early buzz matters, because it gives Frost more than long-term upside to evaluate - it gives him real choices as he pieces together the next version of this roster. [Read more 🡒]