UCF Football Has Found Their New Quarterback

There’s a new quarterback on the move heading to Orlando, Florida, and his name is Alonza Barnett.

Barnett, a 6-foot junior from Whitsett, North Carolina, is fresh off a College Football Playoff run with JMU, after leading his team to a 12-2 record and a first-place finish in the Sun Belt.

Reports of the move to UCF were all over social media on Sunday afternoon, with experts at ESPN, On3, 247Sports, and just about every other outlet possible noting the transfer decision. Barnett was stellar in 2025, throwing for 2,806 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 23-8. He was also dynamic in the ground game, finishing just shy of 600 yards, but a staggering 15 scores.

He now heads to Orlando to team up with Scott Frost in his second year back in the Sunshine State, in hopes of turning the Knights into a consistent Big 12 presence. Last fall, the Knights had a bit of a revolving door at quarterback. They started off with Indiana transfer Tayven Jackson, who wound up seeing most of the team’s snaps. Injuries forced them to look toward Cam Fancher and Jacurri Brown at times, but things were just never quite good enough. The team finished 5-7 and missed out on bowl eligibility.

Insert Barnett into the equation, and things look a lot different. In his four-year career with the Dukes, he’s been really great at taking care of the football and playing smart. If he can bring his dual-threat ability to Orlando and avoid making major mistakes, this addition looks like a win-win for both parties.