Cole Kozlowski return? 3 observations from UCF football practice

ORLANDO — UCF football is less than a month away from opening its season at Acrisure Bounce House against Bethune-Cookman.

Certain positions on the Knights’ depth chart already seem to be filled in, while others are still up for grabs during the dog days of summer.

Depth charts usually remain fluid throughout the season, but the team UCF rolls out against the Wildcats on Week 1 will be telling. Practice makes perfect for the Knights in that regard.

UCF held its latest practice on Aug. 8 at the outdoor fields adjacent to the Bounce House. The entire 2½-hour session was held in front of media members and others listed as “shareholders.”

Here are three takeaways from the Knights‘ open practice.
primed for return

Linebacker Cole Kozlowski thought his collegiate career was over after finishing with a team runner-up 82 tackles a season ago.

That’s because it was — until the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted an injunction on July 31 that allowed him, and other athletes in his situation, an extra year of eligibility. The rumor mill swirled of a potential return for Kozlowski, which would boost the Knights‘ front seven, considering linebacker Lewis Carter, UCF’s leading tackler in 2025, is back again.

Rumors picked up when Kozlowski appeared at Thursday’s practice in street clothes, indicating his interest in returning to his alma mater. A Kozlowski return is closer to fact than hearsay after Saturday’s practice.

Kozlowski entered the practice fields with a helmet and cleats, an upgrade from the tennis shoes and leisure wear he donned Thursday. However, he still wasn’t wearing pads or a jersey and hasn’t officially been added to the roster.

While his potential future teammates ran formal drills and plays against one another, Kozlowski practiced independently with associate director of sports performance Andrew Strop on quiet parts of the field.

So yes, all signs point to a forthcoming reunion between Kozlowski and UCF.

The Knights’ entire quarterback room is different than a season ago. None of UCF’s five quarterbacks returned and were replaced by three transfers — Alonza Barnett III, Kaleb Annett and Keyone Jenkins — and two freshmen — Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr.

Barnett was the Knights’ major transfer portal splash after the redshirt senior arrived in Orlando after leading James Madison to a College Football Playoff berth in 2025. 

After brief peeks at previous practices, Barnett’s capabilities were revealed in practice Saturday.

Barnett looked crisp throwing the route tree to his running backs and receivers early in the morning, and that continued during one-on-one reps between UCF’s wide receivers and defensive backs. 

It faded a bit running full-speed reps against the Knights’ defense. Barnett completed his fair share of passes, but he also missed a couple of open, long touchdown passes and threw an interception to defensive back Caleb Flagg.

But only the interceptions that occur during the season count, and Week 1 against Bethune-Cookman will begin to form the bigger picture once he has more time to gel with his teammates and learn the playbook. After all, his resumé speaks for itself.

While Barnett has the QB1 role all but squared away, the forecast for backup quarterback is a little clearer after Saturday’s open practice.

Boise State transfer Kaleb Annett took second-team reps all morning. Annett tossed probably the highlight of the session during one-on-ones with a contested back-shoulder completion to true freshman wide receiver Tyren Hornes.

Annett spent two seasons with the Broncos without seeing any action after being placed as their third-string QB in 2025 and redshirting his freshman season in 2024.

Freshman Rocco Marriott appears to be the third-string quarterback after taking third-team reps, followed by Florida International transfer Keyone Jenkins and true freshman signal caller Dante Carr.

Jenkins went 164 for 263 for 1,742 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions with FIU last season.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Cole Kozlowski return? 3 observations from UCF football practice