With just over two weeks until the regular season, UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost knows who his starting quarterback is. That’s transfer Alonza Barnett. However, a year removed from giving significant playing time to four different quarterbacks, Frost also knows the value in a good backup.
For now, Frost shared that Kaleb Annett is in a good position to win that role as the primary backup.
“Kaleb had a great spring,” Scott Frost said. “He’s had a really good fall camp. I’m really comfortable with his abilities right now.”
That isn’t to say that Annett has no competition, though. UCF also brought in a veteran transfer, Keyon Jenkins, to go along with freshmen Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr.
“That being said, Rocco’s done great. Lights (Keyone Jenkins) has done great. Dante’s done great when he’s got reps,” Frost said. “So there’s a lot of guys there that I trust, and I think we’ll have that conversation after this three-practice block.”
Annett comes to UCF as a transfer from Boise State, where he spent two seasons. However, he did not see action at all during that time. With the new five-year eligibility rule, he could have three more seasons of college football.
UCF Knights Freshman Rocco Marriott is the Program’s Top QB Recruit
GettyUCF Knights mascot Knightro
One potential backup quarterback who the UCF Knights are particularly excited about is Rocco Marriott. He was the top-ranked recruit at the quarterback position in program history, and it’s already showing in camp.
Earlier, Frost would praise Marriott. In particular, for how he’s bounced back after having some knee issues that previously limited him in the spring.
“Yeah, we were excited to get Rocco,” Frost said. “He came in with some residual knee issues from high school. I don’t think he was 100 percent in the spring. He went through it anyway. I’ve seen just a giant leap forward from him. He’s making a bunch of plays out there.”
Marriott was given a .9020 composite ranking by 247 Sports, which made him the 23rd-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. For its part, Rivals had Marriott as a four-star recruit and the 20th-ranked quarterback in the country.
“He’s obviously a big, strong, fast athlete. And you throw somebody into a college football scheme and system offensively where they have to run things and know everything, and there’s always a tendency to maybe play a little slower, be tentative, make some mistakes,” Frost said.
“And I’ve really seen him turn a corner from just his confidence and knowing what to do and then letting it rip. So hopefully we can keep pushing him forward and expect good things from him.”
Marriott may not be ready to become the next backup quarterback at UCF. After all, he missed time in the Spring and is still transitioning from high school to college, but the future does look bright for him.
Frost Praised UCF QB Alonza Barnett at Big 12 Media Days
GettyAlonza Barnett with James Madison
The hope for UCF is that they won’t need to rely on any one backup quarterback at all during the 2026 season. Instead, they should be able to lean on Alonza Barnett as their starter. Certainly, Frost made it clear at Big 12 Media Days that there was a good deal of excitement around Barnett.
“He’s been out on the field and we got to see him do a lot with some of the OTA’s and things that we’re allowed to do now,” Frost said. “Man, I’m impressed with his ability, but also his command and presence. We look like a different team with him in there. … He’ll be full go come Fall Camp.”
Barnett comes to UCF as a transfer from James Madison, where he led the Dukes to the College Football Playoff. He’d been the starter there for two seasons before making the jump to UCF.
“We’ve liked him for a long time and had our eye on him. It’s been a little rocky getting him established as the leader, because he missed a lot of spring ball. We were just being cautious with him. He was ready to practice toward the end of spring ball, and we just decided to wait,” Frost said.
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