UCF is moving fast to get its next quarterback ready for Week 3, and offensive coordinator Steve Cooper isn’t pretending there’s time to waste.
With Alonza Barnett III sidelined for multiple weeks after a hamstring injury on the second-to-last play in last Saturday’s 12-7 loss to Pittsburgh, the Knights are sorting through the next option for Georgia State. The offense is built for dual-threat quarterbacks, but Cooper made it clear Tuesday that the job now is tailoring things to whoever takes over.
"Obviously, I feel good about that because it's not like this guy just showed up and he's been here, knows the offense, but there are certainly things that we need to play to their strengths," Cooper said during Tuesday's media availability.
Keyone Jenkins looks like the cleanest path forward. ESPN’s Pete Thamel expects the FIU transfer to start, and the case is easy to see.
Jenkins arrives with three years of starting experience and 35 games under his belt at FIU. Across that stretch, the senior piled up 6,721 passing yards, 42 touchdown throws and 25 interceptions, while also running for 312 yards and 13 scores.
Kaleb Annett is the other name in the mix, and he brings a much different profile. He hasn’t been the centerpiece of an offense in three years, but he was a star at Corona del Mar High School in 2023 and helped lead the team to the Southern Section Division 4 championship game.
Annett originally committed to Boise State, though he never saw in-game snaps over the last two seasons before transferring to UCF. The redshirt sophomore also has a familiar face in Cooper, who was an offensive analyst at Boise State during Annett’s freshman season.
Quarterback is only part of the equation, though. Cooper is also trying to tighten things up in the middle of the offensive line after a rough night against Pittsburgh.
The protection broke down often, with the Panthers’ pass rush and blitzes squeezing the pocket early and forcing Barnett to improvise or get the ball out in a hurry. UCF also surrendered its first safety since 2023 against Tulsa, when pressure came quickly in its own end zone after Swint fell on the play-action call.
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UCF Is Chasing A 2027 Forward Who Could Change Everything
Johnny Dawkins and his staff have made no secret of how much they want to keep building around high-end talent, and their latest recruiting push points straight at K'Nard Callendar. The 4-star Overtime Elite forward has emerged as a potential centerpiece for UCFs 2027 class, thanks to his hybrid skill set and a national profile that already puts him inside the top 100. For a program trying to keep climbing, a player with that kind of ceiling is exactly the sort of prospect that can change the tone of a class.
Callendars production in Overtime Elite has helped draw attention from several Power Four programs, and UCF is now working to make its case in a crowded race. The Knights are lining up a major recruiting visit in late September, a chance to show him how he could fit into Dawkins vision and why Orlando might be the place to start something bigger. For UCF, landing him would be more than a win on the trail, it would be a statement about where the program believes it can go. [Read more 🡒]
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Among the early focal points are home dates against Yale, Georgia, Iowa State, Houston and Texas Tech, along with the usual grind that comes with the Big 12. There is also some continuity on both sides of those matchups, with returning players and coaches expected to shape the seasons early feel, but one of the most intriguing games on the slate carries a little extra edge for UCF supporters who remember how close the last one was. [Read more 🡒]