By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola
Heading into a pivotal season during the second Scott Frost Era, the UCF Knights held their first live scrimmage on Wednesday morning as they head towards their 2026 season opener with Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 3.
“For a first scrimmage, I thought things went pretty well,” UCF Offensive Coordinator Steve Cooper told the media following the closed scrimmage. “The ones (first team) were solid, but we need to get more consistency out of the twos and threes, but overall I thought we got what we wanted today.”
Although the Knights went 5-7 overall and just 2-7 in the Big XII in Frost’s first year back, there is plenty of room for optimism as a revamped roster includes senior quarterback transfer Alonza Barnett III takes over.
Barnett played his first four seasons at James Madison – where he started the last two, throwing for 5,404 yards and 49 touchdowns. Last year, he led the Dukes to a 12-1 regular season, including a win in the Sun Belt Championship game, a #19 national ranking and a berth in the College Football Playoffs – where they dropped a 51-34 decision to Oregon.
“What I like most about him is he never seems to get too high or too low,” Cooper said following the scrimmage. “He also tends to never make the same mistake twice.”
Barnett will have many tools at his disposal, including one from nearby Osceola High School. Former Kowboys running back Taevion Swint was one of the most sought-after high school running back in the country when he signed with UCF last year. Unfortunately he never got out of the gate, as a pre-season knee injury ended his season before it began.
Depending on what depth chart you look at on-line, Swint is listed either second or third but that does not mean he will not be counted on as a major contributor this year. When asked about the running backs during the scrimmage, Cooper immediately said “Taevion Swint looked really good today. We have three running backs and they all possess unique weapons. They all bring something different to the table.”
Landen Chambers, Duke Watson and Agyeman Addae join Swint in the running back room. Chambers ran for 1273 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught 27 passes out of the backfield for Central Arkansas last season. Watson transfers from Louisville, where he was second on the team in rushing as a freshmen but played in just seven games as a sophomore.
At wide receiver, the Knights will have a total new look as four transfers, a freshman and a sophomore are on the two-deep. Look for Duane Thomas (53-528 yards at Charlotte), sophomore returner Charles Waden, Jonathan Bibbs (26-383-3 TD at Louisiana-Monroe), Waden Charles, and Ric’Darious Farmer (WVU transfer) to form the corps of the Knight receiving corp.
Dylan Wade, who transfers from Maryland, gives the Knights an experience tight end, Wade, an Ocoee native who played at Jones High School, caught 43 passes and scored five touchdowns for the Terps last season.
The offensive line remains a work in progress. Preston Cushman and Connor Meadows are returning starters; while the rest of the two-deep features a lot of transfers. “We have new faces but we have a lot of maturity on the offensive line,” Cooper said. “It’s just a matter of getting reps and gaining the consistency we want.”
The schedule stacks up favorably. Two-early season home games against Bethune-Cookman and Georgia State should allow for a quick start but a Sept.12 road contest with Pitt (8-5, 6-2 ACC) will present a good test. In the BIG XII, gets five of their nine at home and do not play #12 Texas Tech and #21 Utah this season. The schedule is ranked as the fourth easiest among Power 4 teams.
A winning season will be critical for Frost to show UCF fans he has the program back on the right direction as they enter their fourth season in the Big XII.
After leading UCF to a 13-0 record and a 2017 national championship by the Colley Matrix (a recognized NCAA Poll Selector), Frost resigned to take over at his alma mater Nebraska. He went 16-31 before being dismissed in his fifth season; before coming back to UCF prior to last season, where he went 5-7. Overall, Frost is 40-45 as head coach and has missed out on bowl games in each of his last six years.
