UCF Knights coach Scott Frost appreciated having more time to put together his football team than he did an offseason ago. It allowed him to build a more targeted roster.
Few items were more important that finding a talented quarterback. After a competition last season that yielded average production, he and his staff targeted a more experienced and productive passer out of the transfer portal.
He and the Knights landed one of the best transfers in college football in James Madison’s Alzona Barnett III. He could be a gamechanger in Frost’s second season.
“It’s going to be nice and refreshing to have a guy that everybody looks to and knows that he’s the guy,” Frost said at Big 12 media days.
Alonza Barnett’s Knights Future
Barnett led the Dukes to the College Football Playoff in a season that put the program on the map in FBS after moving from FCS just a few years ago. The redshirt senior threw for 2,806 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, along with rushing for 589 yards and scoring 15 rushing scores. He was named the Sun Belt Conference player of the year, first-team All-Sun Belt quarterback and a third-team Hero Sports all-American.
“Alonza has played a lot of football games,” Frost said. “He’s won a lot of football games. He’s a competitor, a guy that I’ve been really impressed with his presence on the field and in the huddle.”
It’s a much different situation than a season ago. Frost had a three-player race to be the starting quarterback last year and Tayven Jackson ended up winning the job. He threw for 2,151 yards, but only 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also rushed for three scores.
Cam Fancher threw 72 passes in three games, with 333 passing yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Four other players threw at least one pass for the Knights last season. But none of the quarterbacks return.
It’s Barnett’s job. The only other quarterback with game experience is FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins, who threw for 1,742 yards last season and was No. 3 in all-time passing yards at FIU before his transfer.
Jenkins is good. Barnett is better. He’s also taking charge.
“We didn’t really have that a year ago either, the vocal guy out in front,” Frost said. “I think guys like that are going to give us a little bit easier path to hopefully some success.”
The Knights went 5-7 last season in Frost’s return to the job. He was out of college football for two years after he was fired from Nebraska after five seasons and a 16-31 record. He returned to his alma mater after leading the Knights to a 19-7 record in two seasons, including a 13-0 2-17 that saw the Knights win a Colley Matrix national championship.
That team had terrific quarterback play from McKenzie Milton. He is now Barnett’s position coach. If UCF is going to take a big jump, it will be because Barnett takes them there, just like Milton did a decade ago.
