The buzz around UCF football is already loud, and Alonza Barnett III is helping drive it.
The former James Madison quarterback has stepped into Orlando and quickly become a central voice in the locker room, with head coach Scott Frost and members of the staff praising the intangibles he brings to the position. Barnett’s arrival comes with big expectations around the program, and he’s not shying away from them.
On Wednesday, Barnett appeared on UCFast Cast Live on YouTube and looked back on his College Football Playoff experience with the Dukes. The memory clearly stuck with him.
"That's addicting bro," Barnett said about the opportunity. "It was crazy.
Growing up, playing video games against Oregon, like De'Anthony Thomas, all the different flashy uniforms and all that stuff. It was loud from the first quarter through the fourth.
Nobody left."
He also mentioned the scene around the game, including Oregon’s mascot riding a duck on a motorcycle out of the tunnel.
Barnett didn’t just soak in the atmosphere - he produced in it. He finished with three total touchdowns, threw for 273 yards and added 45 rushing yards. James Madison put up 34 points, and that came against an Oregon defense that later blanked the Big 12 champion Texas Tech Red Raiders in the next round.
Barnett said the feeling was "addicting," and added that the Knights "gotta experience that this year."
That mindset fits right in with the way he’s been talking since arriving at UCF. At a recent meet-and-greet, he said: "I look forward to enjoying each and every game as it’s my last collegiate season…" Barnett added, "Fans can expect a great brand of football, some fireworks here and there and some really consistent play."
His game fits the job, too. Barnett brings a dual-threat element that lines up with Frost’s offense, giving UCF a quarterback who can extend plays and pick up yards with his legs. Tayven Jackson had some mobility last season, but Barnett is a different level of runner for the position.
With Barnett echoing the same conference-title and College Football Playoff ambitions voiced by his teammates, UCF appears to have found the quarterback around which those goals can be built.
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