When UCF announced the addition of transfer Alonza Barnett III as its starting quarterback, the redshirt senior symbolized the team’s present. At the same time, the program also brought in true freshmen Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr, two highly rated quarterbacks who embody the Knights’ future.
In today’s transactional landscape of college athletics, the pressure is mounting and the timeline for developing a young quarterback has dramatically shrunk. What once took two to three years now must be accomplished in just nine months, or there’s a real risk of losing a player to the transfer portal.
“In a perfect world, you want to build a quarterback in-house,” said UCF quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton. “You approach each year in its own way on how you’re going to build our roster this year. It was necessary to go get Alonza in the portal, but in a perfect world, you get a kid that’s young and stays here for a while.”
Milton is one of the program’s biggest success stories, signing with coach Scott Frost as a three-star prospect out of Mililani (Hawaii) High School as part of the Knights’ 2016 recruiting class. He found his way onto the football field as a true freshman, eventually leading the program to a 27-6 record, including a program-best 13-0 record in 2017.
“In my opinion, it’s hard to sustain success having a one-year quarterback every year. Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss and you see that all across college football,” said Milton.
“It’s hard to do this as a team when it’s new every year. Sometimes you have a special guy back there that’s able to do that within a one-year window, à la Tom Brady at Tampa Bay, who was able to take the Bucs to the Super Bowl.”
According to CBS Sports, more than 60% of Power Four schools opened the 2025 season with a transfer quarterback, including UCF.
The Knights started transfer Cam Fancher in the season opener against Jacksonville State last season. He would eventually be replaced by Tayven Jackson, who arrived after transferring from Indiana.
The year prior, UCF started Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson and in 2023. In 2022, it was Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee. Dillon Gabriel, who succeeded Milton in 2019, was the last Knights quarterback signed out of high school who started a season.
Since Gabriel’s signing, however, the last six high school quarterbacks signed by the program transferred: Parker Navarro (2020), Mikey Keene (2021), Thomas Castellanos (2022), Dylan Rizk (2023), Riley Trujillo (2024) and EJ Colson (2024). Navarro, Keene, Castellanos and Colson became starters elsewhere.
With four quarterbacks on the 2026 roster and Barnett getting the majority of first-team snaps, the challenge for UCF is getting everyone enough snaps.
“Anytime you’re trying to rep more than a handful of quarterbacks, that’s the struggle,” said offensive coordinator Steve Cooper. “It’s hard enough to rep two quarterbacks to get them ready to play on Saturdays.
“The things that we do in the offseason are to try to do as much class on grass as possible.”
Film study, coupled with understanding the playbook, is a crucial component in helping a younger quarterback earn more playing time on the field.
“When you get an opportunity to get a rep, you’ve got to make the most of that rep, whether it’s four reps that day or 40 reps. You have to maximize,” said Cooper.
“As we get closer to the first game and we’re kind of done running three reps and more focused on preparing for a game, that’s where the reps will go away,” added Frost. “So, they’ll need to take advantage of the reps they have now.”
When the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Marriott signed with UCF in December, the Platte County, Mo., product became the highest-ranked quarterback to sign with the program. He’s already making the most of opportunities on the practice field during preseason camp.
“Rocco is getting a fair share of the second-team and third-team reps,” Cooper said following the team’s first scrimmage on Wednesday. Kaleb (Annett) and he have been doing a really good job taking the second and third group while Dante (6-4, 220) is getting his fair chance of running the offense as well.”
When pressed whether Marriott has the potential to earn the backup spot behind Barnett, Cooper remained optimistic.
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF defensive tackle Thomas Collins is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF running back Taevion Swint is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF player Horace Lockett is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF players walk between stations during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF player Sincere Edwards is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF offensive lineman Preston Cushman is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF linebacker Tackett Curtis is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF defensive back Jayden Williams is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF defensive back Demari Henderson is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF punter Atticus Bertrams is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF kicker Will Stone is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III (right) smlies as he walks in to be interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. At left is UCF assistant athletic director Ken Landis. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF defensive back Braeden Marshall is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF player Horace Lockett is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UCF running back Landen Chambers is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
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UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
“It’s still early, so we’re still working through those things and I’m not taking anything off the table there, but that’s the goal when you bring a guy in,” he said. “We’ll see what happens after we watch the tape today and then we have some more practice before we get to the game.”
Either way, Cooper believes a full season at the college level will only benefit both freshmen.
“Freshmen, especially at that position, typically develop as the season goes,” Cooper explained. “For a lot of guys, you get more reps once the season starts because you’re running the scout team. You still get the opportunity to advance your craft and get better.”
Retention will be critical for the Knights, who have the possibility of bringing back Annett, Marriott and Carr next season. However, it will be an expensive proposition as all three are likely to want more of a financial commitment from the school.
Still, developing a starting quarterback in-house would be cheaper than paying for one in the transfer portal. According to The Athletic, a Power Four starting quarterback costs anywhere from $1 million to $4 million, with elite signal-callers commanding $5 million to $6 million.
Backup quarterbacks can make anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000, according to a report in Front Office Sports.
So, saving money by developing a quarterback in-house can help the program if it chooses to focus its resources elsewhere on the team. It’s something for the Knights to consider when moving forward.
“You establish the culture and hope that your young guys can come along and be that guy for you in-house at some point,” said Milton.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.