UCF’s offense is starting to look like a room full of playmakers with a quarterback who can distribute the ball anywhere on the field.
That’s the read from Duane Thomas Jr., who came away from Tuesday’s practice impressed with new quarterback Alonza Barnett III and the way he runs the attack. Barnett, a transfer portal addition from James Madison, arrives after helping the Dukes reach the College Football Playoff last season, and Thomas believes the Knights are seeing exactly what makes him dangerous.
"AB, I heard Cush [Preston Cushman] call him a point guard, and that's exactly what he is," Thomas said. "Today, he dished out to a couple different guys in one drive and that's what you want to see from a quarterback."
Thomas pointed to a recent UCF X post that showed Barnett hitting multiple receivers in practice, a sign of the kind of balanced passing game the Knights are aiming for. With Barnett settling in and a deep group of targets around him, Thomas thinks the offense can be far more consistent this season.
"Explosive" was the word he used for what UCF can become on that side of the ball, especially with a proven starter in the mix.
The praise for the offense fits what UCF has been building this offseason. The Knights have done a solid job of welcoming back key pieces from last year’s roster, including the recent return of Cole Kozlowski on defense, while also adding new faces who can raise the level of the entire team.
Thomas has plenty of reason to sound confident, too. He led the Knights last season with 53 catches for 528 yards, using his speed and ability to create after the catch to keep drives moving. He also said the coaching staff has kept pushing him to get better, and that he was able to bring a higher level of intensity and focus into this offseason than he had a year ago.
In early May, CFBudge ranked Thomas as the No. 9 lead receiver in the Big 12, a nod to the kind of impact he can make if UCF’s motion-heavy attack starts clicking the way it wants to.
In Other News...
UCFs Linebacker Picture Just Got Much Murkier Before The Opener
The linebacker group at UCF was already a position to watch, and it got a lot more complicated with the season opener nearing. Cole Kozlowski, who had been granted a fifth year of eligibility by a U.S. District Court judge, is now ruled ineligible to return after the NCAA obtained a stay from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The uncertainty leaves the Knights trying to sort out a key piece of their defense with little time left before games start counting.
Coach Scott Frost has made it clear the situation is still fluid, which fits a roster that has already seen some help arrive through the transfer portal to soften the impact if Kozlowski is ultimately unavailable. For now, UCF is left waiting on what comes next while preparing as if the answer could still shift, and that kind of uncertainty is never ideal when a team is trying to settle its linebacker rotation before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Needs A Healthy Horace Lockett More Than Ever This Fall
Horace Locketts return gives UCF something it badly needs on the interior, especially after he missed most of last season with a torn pectoral muscle. The defensive tackle is back for his final college campaign and is expected to battle for the starting nose tackle job, a role the Knights need solidified if they want more consistency up front.
Locketts offseason also has put him on a more visible pro path, with a spot on the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 drawing notice around the program. His journey to this point has not been straightforward, and the reason he chose to stay in Orlando when he had other options says plenty about what this season means to him and to UCF, even as the bigger question is how much he can give them now that he is healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Lewis Carter Is Becoming The Standard For UCF's Defense
Lewis Carter has spent the offseason collecting the kind of recognition that usually follows a breakthrough year, not just another preseason. The UCF linebacker, who paced the Knights in tackles last season, has been placed on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List after posting a career-high 92 stops and earning a spot on the leagues radar with All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and preseason second-team nods from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
For UCF, the broader significance goes beyond the individual honors. Carter is starting to look like the standard by which the Knights measure their defense, the player opposing offenses have to account for first and the one his own team can point to when talking about consistency and production. The next step is where the real pressure comes in, because the watch lists are in place and the accolades are stacking up, but the season will determine whether Carter can turn that status into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]