BIG 12 FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 14 OF 16
2026 Season Snapshot • Orlando, Florida
5-7 (2-7 Big 12)
BIG 12
Live schedule, lines and results for UCF.
Loading schedule…
HEAD COACH
Scott Frost — 4th season at UCF (2nd stint)
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
19–7 in first UCF stint (2016-17); 9-19 since returning
Delivered a legendary turnaround in his first UCF stint: from 0-12 to a 13-0 national-title season (2017) that made him a coaching star before Nebraska hired him away. Returned to Orlando in Dec. 2024 hoping to recapture that magic, but has gone 9-19 (5-13 Big 12) combined so far, including a losing 2025 season.
UCF ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 5-7 (2-7 Big 12), a step back from 2024's 4-8 mark by win total but still well below the standard Frost set in his first stint. UCF's 30-27 home loss to Houston snapped an 8-year winning streak in the rivalry "Space Game."
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$3.9M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
UCF Competitive Success
Fund (direct rev-share) Coach salary per Yahoo Sports/247Sports (5-yr, $22.1M guaranteed deal through 2030, with a 6th-year trigger at $5.25M for 2025 bowl eligibility). The Kingdom NIL, UCF's booster collective since 2022, formally ceased operations on June 30, 2025 as the athletic department transitioned to direct revenue sharing under the UCF Competitive Success Fund; UCF Athletics reported $52.8M in fundraising for 2024-25.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Steve Cooper • 2nd season • No-huddle spread option
Enters year two needing to identify a starting quarterback from scratch after the entire 2025 QB room departed. Returns leading receiver Duane Thomas Jr. (53 catches, 528 yds, All-Big 12 honorable mention) and Waden Charles, giving Cooper real continuity at receiver even amid total QB uncertainty.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Alex Grinch • 2nd season • Base 3-4
Enters year two of his system installation; UCF's defense was a factor in the program's competitive stretches in 2025 even as the offense and record lagged.
2025 RECORD
5–7 (2–7 Big 12)
Snapped an 8-year win streak over Houston in the "Space Game" rivalry with a home loss, then dropped to Oklahoma the following week. A season that reinforced UCF's status in the Big 12's lower tier since joining the conference.
HOME FIELD
Acrisure Bounce House
Natural grass, Orlando. The site of Frost's legendary 2017 turnaround; UCF's fanbase remembers what a Frost-led team can look like, adding real pressure to a second stint that hasn't yet matched the first.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Alonza Barnett III | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER James Madison transfer and 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year; led the Dukes to a 12-2 record and the Sun Belt's first-ever CFP berth (2,806 pass yds, 23 TD, 589 rush yds, 15 rush TD). A real, immediate stabilizer at a position UCF had turned over four straight years. |
| WR1 | Duane Thomas Jr. | — | ★★★★★ | Charlotte transfer; UCF's leading receiver in 2025 (53 catches, 528 yds) and an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, one of the first Knights to publicly commit to returning for 2026. |
| WR2 | Waden Charles | — | ★★★★★ | Former four-star signee who started half of UCF's 12 games as a true freshman in 2025 (26 catches, 290 yds, nearly 60% coming in the final four games); publicly committed to returning before the portal even opened. |
James Madison transfer and 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year; led the Dukes to a 12-2 record and the Sun Belt's first-ever CFP berth (2,806 pass yds, 23 TD, 589 rush yds, 15 rush TD). A real, immediate stabilizer at a position UCF had turned over four straight years.
Charlotte transfer; UCF's leading receiver in 2025 (53 catches, 528 yds) and an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, one of the first Knights to publicly commit to returning for 2026.
Former four-star signee who started half of UCF's 12 games as a true freshman in 2025 (26 catches, 290 yds, nearly 60% coming in the final four games); publicly committed to returning before the portal even opened.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Cushman | OT | — | ★★★★★ | Ole Miss transfer and returning starter at right tackle, giving a new- QB offense at least one point of proven continuity up front. |
| Connor Meadows | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Tennessee State transfer who confirmed his return for 2026 as depth behind Cushman. |
Ole Miss transfer and returning starter at right tackle, giving a new- QB offense at least one point of proven continuity up front.
Tennessee State transfer who confirmed his return for 2026 as depth behind Cushman.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven under Grinch | DL | Benefits from Alex Grinch's second-year continuity, one of the few stable coordinator situations on the roster amid the offensive overhaul. |
Benefits from Alex Grinch's second-year continuity, one of the few stable coordinator situations on the roster amid the offensive overhaul.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under Grinch | DB | ★★★★★ | Also benefits from year-two continuity under Grinch; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses. |
Also benefits from year-two continuity under Grinch; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses.
2025 ATS
4-8
33.3% cover rate — 74th of 82
2025 Straight up
5-7
Point differential +9
Scoring environment
47.9
Combined points per game — 64th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-4 · 1-4
Totals 6-6 O/U (3-4 home, 3-2 road)
Points scored / allowed
24.3 per game scored (58th) · 23.6 allowed (41st)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +0.8 (49th) · Strength of schedule -0.3
SRS power rating
-2.1
55th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-5.6
66th of 82
Defensive SRS
+2.5
39th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+0.8 · 49th of 82
Against the spread
4-8 (33.3%) · 74th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
47.9 · 64th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for UCF.
All three 2025 QB competitors (Cam Fancher, Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown) entered the transfer portal, leaving Davi Belfort as the only scholarship QB with game snaps — a genuinely unusual, complete reset at the position.
The Kingdom NIL, UCF's booster collective since 2022, formally dissolved in mid-2025 as the athletic department moved to direct revenue sharing — worth understanding as a real shift in how UCF now funds its roster.
Frost's 9-19 second-stint record is a real, specific gap from the standard his own history set — 2026 is a genuine referendum year.
The line finished 2025 ranked 70th nationally in rushing offense and 53rd in fewest sacks allowed — middling numbers that now have to support a completely new starting quarterback.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.
