A Dallas court ruling on Thursday has put two more former Knights in position to extend their college careers, with Phillip Dunnam and Riley Kugel both named in a temporary restraining order.
The development adds to a growing list of UCF players seeking extra eligibility. Linebacker Cole Kozlowski has already been added to the active roster and has started practicing with the team again, and now Dunnam and Kugel are in the same conversation.
Dunnam’s case is especially notable on the football side. He had been openly interested in playing college football again throughout the offseason, and after the ruling he entered the transfer portal.
The full outcome of the injunction is still pending, but there should be no shortage of interest if he does land somewhere. Dunnam was one of UCF’s most disruptive defenders last season and graded as one of the Big 12’s best safeties.
According to PFSN College, Dunnam posted an 86.3 grade, which placed him among the top six safeties in the conference. He also ranked 10th in passer rating when targeted, allowing a 60.5 mark when quarterbacks threw his way. When the season ended, the same publication named him a Second-Team All-Big 12 Safety.
His production backed up the recognition. Dunnam finished with a career-high 44 solo tackles and 16 assisted tackles, and he picked off three passes for the third straight season.
Kugel’s path has been in motion for a while longer. He has been in the transfer portal since early August, and this TRO improves his chances of getting back on the floor. Last season, the 6-foot-5 combo guard led UCF with 14.4 points per game and showed he could score from every level.
His breakout stretch came early against Vanderbilt, when he put up 25 points and knocked down 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range. That was the second game in a seven-game run during which he scored at least 12 points each time.
Kugel’s season later hit a setback on Feb. 17 against TCU, when he suffered an ankle injury and missed two games. But when he returned against Baylor, he came back with a bang. He scored a career-high 26 points, added five assists and five rebounds, and powered the Knights’ comeback attempt with 14 second-half points after they trailed by double digits at halftime.
After that game, head coach Johnny Dawkins praised Kugel’s effort and readiness.
"Well, he's talented young player and of course, he's one of our best players and so, you know, I think you're always better when your best players are able to play out there on the floor for you and so it's good to have him back," Dawkins said. "And I I thought he gave us, you know, everything that he had.
I thought he, you know, he gave us everything considering he's been out for quite a while. He's missed several games and had very limited practices.
And so, I thought for what he went through and, you know, it was impressive because a lot of players couldn't have done what he did tonight based on the limited reps he's taken since the injury."
Kugel followed that up with an efficient 18-point performance against Oklahoma State, going 7-of-14 from the field.
In Other News...
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Those tune-ups were never just about the scoreboard, though. For Dawkins, the value was in seeing which combinations worked, how the new pieces fit and where the team still needs time before opening night. The challenge now is familiar for any revamped group: turning flashes in exhibition play into something more stable once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs First Opponent Is Carrying More Momentum Than Usual
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The early schedule gives Bethune-Cookman a chance to show whether that momentum is real right away, with a Sept. 3 trip to UCF setting the tone before a later date with Florida A&M in the Florida Classic on Nov. 21. For the Knights, it is the kind of opener that can look routine on paper but comes with a little more substance than the average first-week tune-up. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Is Counting On Two Breakout Candidates In Crucial Roles
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The intrigue comes from how much each one still has to prove once the season arrives. Nixon is poised to move into a far more prominent pass-rushing job, while Farmers path back into the rotation depends on getting his game legs under him after a lost season. For a UCF team that is always chasing speed, depth and upside, their progress in camp and into the fall could shape more than just a couple of position battles. [Read more 🡒]