UCF Football’s head coach Scott Frost and his staff are getting ready for the Transfer Portal to officially open on January 2nd. The good news is the Knights will not be looking for 70 new players to add
to the roster like last year, but there are still many holes on the roster, especially on offense, coming off a 5-7 record in 2025.
There are many areas on the roster Frost will be looking to upgrade the roster in the hopes of making a jump in year two, just like fellow Big 12 head coaches Willie Fritz (4 to 10 wins at Houston) and Brent Brennan (4 to 9 wins at Arizona) did in 2025, or Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham (3 to 11 wins) did in 2024. All made jumps in year two by having a high success rate in the portal, with Fritz and Dillingham adding starting quarterbacks in Conner Weigman (Texas A&M) and Sam Leavitt (Michigan State), respectively, while Brennan was able to retain Noah Fifita.
Can Frost have similar success in the portal? Here are the five most important areas that Frost and his staff must address via the transfer portal:
1. Add a quality starting QB
Last year UCF brought in Tayven Jackson and Cam Fancher from the portal. Neither was good.
Jackson was 12th in the Big 12 in passing efficiency and passing yards per game and 15th in passing yards per completion. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked Jackson 63rd out of 68 Power 4 QBs. Jackson will be entering the portal.
Injuries limited Fancher, who won the job out of camp but only played in three games this past season, starting two of them, completing just 56.9% of his passes for 333 yards. Fancher is trying to get another year of eligibility. Should he get it, a return is possible.
The big question is, do Frost and his offensive staff believe that freshman quarterbacks Rocco Marriott or Dante Carr can play significant snaps in 2026? The answer to that question will dictate who UCF will target and how much they are willing to spend on the position.
Should UCF decide they want to swing big, two names to watch are Missouri’s Beau Pribula and Iowa State’s Rocco Becht.
Pribula spent his first three years at Penn State as Drew Allar’s backup. Sources tell Black and Gold Banneret that Pribula was Frost’s top QB target in the portal before losing out to the Tigers.
Becht has Florida ties, being from Tampa, with his dad being former NFL tight end Anthony Becht, who was a teammate with Frost with the New York Jets. Anthony will be working in Orlando this spring as the new head coach of the UFL’s Orlando Storm. Could Rocco follow his dad to Orlando?
Getting either guy will not be easy as the Quarterback position is the most expensive position in the portal.
UCF will likely go for a quarterback that can be the bridge to Marriott or Carr at around $1-2 million for an experienced starter, with less-established options likely coming in below that range, which is what most Power Four programs are paying for, according to many outlets, including ESPN’s Max Olson.
Regardless of whether it comes from the portal or from the internal roster, UCF must upgrade the quarterback position that has been below average the last two years.
2. Build and upgrade the offensive line
UCF has found its new offensive line coach, per UCFSports.com’s Brandon Helwig, in AJ Blazek, who comes to Orlando following a two-year stint at Wisconsin. He replaces Shawn Clark, who tragically passed away in September.
Blazek steps into a pivotal role at UCF with plenty of urgency as the Knights look to rebuild an offensive line that lost six veterans via graduation and the transfer portal who played significant snaps in 2025.
According to Olson, offensive tackles at the Power 4 conference level average between $500,000 and $1 million, while guards and centers average $300,000 to $700,000.
Blazek will be building a brand new offense line through the portal mostly with plug-and-play linemen with the hope of upgrading from a average unit in 2025 to above average in 2026.
3. Add running backs
With the graduations of Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon, and Stacy Gage entering the transfer portal, UCF is left with not much depth or experience, returning with just five running backs, with all being true or redshirt freshmen except for Agyeman Addae, who was a walk-on last year and is a sophomore.
Taevion Swint is the most talented back on the roster, but he missed all of 2025 with a meniscus injury. Swint and Gage’s injuries in 2025 were one of the bigger disappointments of the season, as both remain unproven at this level, which will force UCF to be a little more aggressive in the portal in going after an experienced back that can complement Swint.
One name to watch is USC’s Bryan Jackson, who has been linked to UCF by On3/Rivals’ Pete Nakos, along with Wisconsin and Boston College. Running Backs make an average of $300,000-$700,000.
4. Rebuild the defensive line
Arguably the strength of all UCF positions in 2025 is taking a hit with five defensive tackles, including John Walker and Rodney Lora, entering the transfer portal. That leaves the Knights with just five defensive tackles, led by Horace Lockett, who only played 4 games in 2025, tearing his pectoral muscle at Kansas State.
Add to that losing edge rushers Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly, who were All-Big 12 1st team and Big 12 Honorable Mention performers, respectively.
On average, defense tackles make $300,000 to $800,000, while edge rushers average $500,000 to $1 million, according to Olson. UCF Defense Coordinator Alex Grinch, Defensive Tackles Coach Kenny Martin, and Defensive End Coach Mike Dawson will have to be creative to fill the needs in the portal.
5. Add experienced wide receivers
Frost and wide receiver coach Sean Beckton had to replace all of the Knights’ wide receiver production from 2024.
Returners Duane Thomas Jr. and Waden Charles showed flashes of good play, which resulted in Thomas being the Knights’ leading receiver with 53 receptions and 528 yards. But no wideout grabbed the mantle of #1 go-to guy.
Part of that was the quarterback play in 2025. Still, look for the Knights to add one or two wideouts in the portal to upgrade the playmaking category if the price is right. The wide receiver position average ranges from $400,000 to $800,000.
How UCF fares in the next month in the portal will go a long way in determining if the Knights will be able to make a jump in 2026.
The transfer portal opens on January 2 and closes on January 16.
