It was just like old times.

Cole Kozlowski stood side by side with UCF linebackers coach Mark D’Onofrio on Monday. His white helmet was propped up on the familiar golden locks of hair with the familiar No. 43 white defensive jersey draped on his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame.

Nine months since he last stepped on a football field for the Knights, Kozlowski was back on the practice field after a U.S. District Court judge’s ruling two weeks ago allowed the Class of 2022 athletes an additional year of eligibility.

While Kozlowski is officially on UCF’s roster and back practicing with the team, his eligibility status remains uncertain.

“I don’t know his official status. The rules are changing faster than Mario Brothers when you go through warp zones.” UCF coach Scott Frost said, referencing the popular video game Super Mario Bros. “ It looks different every week. He was cleared to be back and is enrolled in classes, but we’re waiting on a final decision.

“We had spots on the roster and it was worth the shot for us to bring him back in the hopes that everything goes his way and he can play. He’s a no-brainer to bring back because of the type of kid that he is.”

The NCAA is appealing the injunction by Judge Charlotte Sweeney, leaving his future murky, to say the least.

Kozlowski was second on the team in tackles (82) last season behind fellow linebacker Lewis Carter, who had 92. His one season with the Knights followed three seasons at Colgate, a Football Championship Subdivision school.

After going undrafted in April and not signing with an NFL team, Kozlowski’s hopes of continuing his football career seemed slim. The injunction, however, opened the door for another year of eligibility and a return to the Knights.

“He seems like he’s in pretty decent shape. I feel really good about the other guys we have at that position. So nothing’s going to be handed to him,” said Frost.

“It’s a great thing for the linebacker room. You want as much depth and competition as you can have and I feel really good about the room right now. Obviously, we have no control over what happens, but if he were to come back, it would make our room better,” D’Onofrio said during media day last Thursday.

The New Jersey native has been limited in his brief return, participating in early team workouts and some drills.

D’Onofrio indicated that the biggest hurdle for Kozlowski would be conditioning.

“The challenge would be working through it and figuring out when he’s ready and not trying to push him too early. He’s basically been out eight months. He’s played his last game with us in November and here we are,” said D’Onofrio. “I wouldn’t treat him any different than a guy coming back from a long-term injury. If you brought him back to camp, you would bring him back really, really slowly.”

Outside of the physical limitations, perhaps the biggest question is integrating Kozlowski into a linebackers unit that features several newcomers, including transfers Tackett Curtis, Jahleel Culbreath and Rashad Henry along with Arthur Kingdom and freshmen Preston Hall and Matthew Occhipinti.

“I do not want to bring anybody into this program right now that’s going to upset the apple cart with what we got going on from a culture and just level of character and integrity we have in the locker room; Koz certainly fits that mold,” said Frost.

Added D’Onofrio: “There’s plenty of guys on our team that were teammates of Cole’s last year, so he was a guy that went to battle with them. He was a guy that played well. He’s a guy that they liked.”

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