With preseason camp winding down and the start of the college football season quickly approaching, UCF coaches continue to make final decisions on position battles before announcing a depth chart next week.
Read more Judge approves $72.5M settlement between Epstein victims, Bank of America
For the first time since the 2023 season, the Knights won’t have to worry about who will start the season at quarterback. That falls squarely on the shoulders of transfer Alonza Barnett III, a two-year starter at James Madison, who led the Dukes to a Sun Belt conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season.
But who backs up Barnett remains somewhat of a mystery with the season’s opening game Thursday night against Bethune-Cookman.
While there’s been good competition between senior Keyone Jenkins, redshirt sophomore Kaleb Annett and true freshmen Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr throughout the spring and into the fall, coach Scott Frost isn’t ready to make a final decision until next week.
“Kaleb had a great spring and a really good fall camp. I’m comfortable with his abilities right now,” said Frost. “That being said, Rocco’s done great. Lights (Jenkins) has done great. Dante has done great when he’s got the reps. There are a lot of guys that are there that I trust.”
The 6-foot, 200-pound Jenkins, a three-year starter at Florida International, was the most likely frontrunner when the team entered spring camp. The 21-year-old has passed for 6,713 yards with 42 touchdowns and 25 interceptions during his time with the Panthers.
Annett, 21, spent two seasons at Boise State before arriving at UCF in January.
Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper, who knew Annett from his time with the Broncos, sees a much different quarterback than when they first met.
“The biggest difference is he got bigger, faster, stronger and he’s got experience now,” said Cooper, who spent the 2024 season as an offensive analyst at Boise State. “He’s still the same dude that I remember. A great teammate and a guy that’s got a lot of good leadership traits. If you know Kaleb, he’s never had a bad day and those are the guys you want to be around.”
Along with Annett, Marriott (6-4, 220) has also impressed throughout the camp, but both face challenges in competing for the backup job.
“These guys are younger and they have to get it right the first time,” Cooper explained. “That’s the challenge of being a backup quarterback. You’re never going to get enough reps to be perfect unless you get it right the first time.
“They’re processing a heck of a lot more information than maybe they had to 10 or 15 years ago, and they’re taking it all in stride.”
With a veteran such as Barnett leading the room, it’s only natural that the other quarterbacks might turn to him with questions.
“Sometimes I’ll get questions and it’s my job, in general, just as a believer of faith, to try to be a servant as much as possible,” said Barnett. “That’s something that KZ (quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton) harps on: the cohesiveness of the room. We’re all mentors to each other.”
Frost, who led Nebraska to two national titles as a quarterback, likes the way his quarterback room has shaped up over the past eight months.
“It’s just the professional nature that they approach things with and the talent we have in that room. I feel great about that room,” he said. “It helps that we have a clear-cut number one, and I think that takes pressure off other guys to just take their time and improve.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram at @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
Read more Bishop Moore defense rises up, but late rally falls short in California