How new court eligibility ruling could impact Knights’ football roster

Like most college coaches these days, all Scott Frost is looking for is a little clarity.

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As UCF kicked off preseason football camp Monday, the Knights’ second-year coach was asked about the impact of a recent court ruling on his roster.

“Feel free to call us if you guys get any rules figured out because, like I’ve said a bunch of times, the only thing you can be sure of is they’re going to change,” Frost said with a chuckle.

“You have to be light on your feet in this day and age. I just heard about it the same way you guys did. I don’t know what it means for sure. We’re trying to get it figured out.”

On Friday, U.S. District Court of Colorado Judge Charlotte Sweeney issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, granting a fifth year of eligibility to all Class of 2022 athletes.

The ruling opens a Pandora’s box of challenges for schools like UCF.

Sweeney provided further details regarding her decision in court documents Sunday, emphasizing that athletes who receive a fifth year do not bypass existing transfer regulations, roster limits, or revenue-sharing amounts. It also doesn’t include football players who signed pro contracts over the summer and then decided to return to school.

The NCAA plans to appeal the decision.

The organization recently introduced an age-based eligibility model in June that granted athletes five years of eligibility within a five-year window. However, it didn’t include additional eligibility for those athletes who graduated in 2025-26.

The ruling has already been met with several legal challenges, including one by several athletes in Colorado: Wisne et al v. NCAA, which led to the injunction.

Sweeney’s decision, if it stands, would make returns by former Knights’ linebacker Cole Kozlowski and safety Phillip Dunnam a possibility. Both player exhausted their eligibility as seniors last season and went undrafted, but with the new ruling, could find their way back to Orlando.

Kozlowski, who started all 12 games as middle linebacker, was second on the team in total tackles with 82 behind fellow linebacker Lewis Carter’s 92. He was tied with edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly with a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss.

Kelly, who was also a senior, would qualify under the injunction but already signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers, making him ineligible.

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Dunnam led the team with three interceptions and was fourth in total tackles with 60.

Whether Kozlowski or Dunnam would return or whether UCF would sign a player out of the transfer portal remains to be seen.

“We’ll always look for ways to upgrade our roster, but it’s way too early to know what that means at this point. We’re certainly exploring some options,” said Frost.

UCF currently has a roster of 108 players, including 57 newcomers from the transfer portal (31), high school ranks (15) and walk-ons (11). Most of those players have been with the team since January, going through spring camp and summer workouts.

Carter said he would welcome the return of Kozlowski or anyone else, for that matter, if the fit was right.

“We’re a tight-knit group. We would welcome anybody coming in, just as long as they’re willing to work and willing to uphold the standard we have here,” he said.

“It’s got to be the right guy. We have such a good culture. We’ve got such a good thing in the building. It’s got to be the right guy,” Frost added. “We’re trying to figure all that out, just like everybody else right now.

“The only thing you can be sure of is if you hold your breath long enough, the rules will change before you breathe again.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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