EA Sports has given UCF a noticeable bump in College Football 27, slotting the Knights at an 81 overall after they checked in at 78 in last year’s game.
The numbers point to a team that looks much stronger on offense than it did a season ago. UCF’s offense landed at 82 overall, a sharp rise from last year’s 73, while the defense sits at 80 overall.
That offensive leap lines up with the additions of key transfers, including Alonza Barnett III. Barnett is the highest-rated Knight at 86 overall, giving UCF a proven dual-threat presence at quarterback. ESPN’s Bill Connelly included Barnett in his top-10 transfers for the 2026 Big 12 preview, and the praise was strong.
"One of the nation's better dual-threat QBs, Barnett threw for 2,806 yards, rushed for 729 more (not including sacks) and created 38 combined touchdowns last season while leading James Madison to the Sun Belt title and CFP [College Football Playoff]," Connelly wrote. "Few portal quarterbacks are more tested and proven."
Barnett isn’t the only name driving the Knights’ rating up. Tight end Dylan Wade also stands out with an 88 overall, tying him for the fourth-highest rating among tight ends with BYU’s Benjamin Brahmer, Temple’s Peter Clarke and Iowa’s DJ Vonnahme.
Wade is coming off a record-setting year for the position at UCF. His 43 catches, 523 receiving yards and five touchdowns all set program records for a tight end.
Tayven Jackson leaned on him all season, and the quarterback made that clear in a late-November press conference.
"He's an athletic tight end. He reads the defense well and he plays in space and he plays the grass.
He's not a receiver who will run the route like our install picture tells him too," Jackson said. "He'll just run to space and I feel I have a connection with him and I know what he is going to do and he gets the job done."
The defense also has a clear headliner in Jayden Bellamy, who comes in at 86 overall. After transferring from Syracuse, Bellamy posted 27 total tackles and showed real playmaking ability with eight passes defended and one interception.
Bellamy was also recognized earlier this year as the fifth-best returning cornerback in the FBS, after grading at 88.9 last season according to PFSN College.
In Other News...
Former UCF Knights Just Landed A Summer League Reunion Fans Will Watch
Summer League is turning into a familiar stage for a handful of former UCF players, with four Knights alumni set to suit up for NBA teams this month. Guards Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks are both on the Clippers roster for the Las Vegas event beginning July 9, while other ex-Knights are spread across the Heat and Bulls entries in California and Vegas, giving UCF fans a small but real rooting interest as the league gets rolling.
The Clippers schedule gives that reunion an extra layer of intrigue, because several of those matchups come with old college connections attached. Kugel and Fulks will see opponents they crossed paths with in ranked games and tight nonconference battles, which should make each night feel a little more personal than a typical July exhibition. For a program that has built plenty of recent momentum, it is another reminder that UCFs reach is showing up on NBA summer stages too. [Read more 🡒]
New UCF Receiver Elijah Hardy Faces An Early Roster Reality
Elijah Hardys arrival gives UCF another young name to track at receiver, and the freshman comes in with a background that shows he can contribute in more than one way. At Miami Northwestern and Chaminade-Madonna, he flashed as both a runner and a pass catcher, while also doing work on defense, which helped make him a versatile high school prospect worth watching as he transitions to the college game.
For the Knights, though, the early challenge is less about Hardys talent than the numbers in front of him. UCFs receiver room is crowded with established returners, transfers and an injured veteran working his way back, so the path to immediate snaps is not an easy one. With Hardy arriving in the fall and still needing time to settle in, a year of development without seeing the field may end up being the cleanest route for both him and the program. [Read more 🡒]