​ORLANDO, FLORIDA – September 3: Alonza Barnett III #14 of the UCF Knights passes the ball during the first half against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats at Acrisure Bounce House on September 3, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Conor Kvatek/UCF Athletics/University Images via Getty Images) | Conor Kvatek/UCF Athletics/University Images via Getty Images The UCF Knights entered this season with greater expectations after a significant transfer portal addition. They landed former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors and guided the Dukes to the first-ever Sun Belt College Football Playoff bid in 2025.However, UCF must learn to operate without Barnett for a significant amount of time.“He has a fairly significant hamstring injury,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said in his Monday press conference. “He kind of slipped on the turf and his leg got put in a weird position. We’re reevaluating to see how long it will be. But he’ll miss some time for sure.”Frost did not clarify the extent or duration of the injury, stating he would wait for imaging results before commenting further. In the Knights’ 12-7 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Barnett scrambled on a 3rd and 6 with under two minutes remaining. In adverse weather conditions featuring heavy rain, he was tackled from behind on the slippery surface. Barnett got up immediately and limped off the field.“Mostly, I feel bad for Alonza,” Frost said. “I felt like he was getting more and more comfortable in our scheme. He did some really good things in the second half. I loved to see him run around and look like he was just playing football and making some throws and runs late. We brought him here for a reason because we believed in him. It’s sad to see something like this happen. It’s two years in a row we’ve had a quarterback hurt early in the year, and that’s just bad luck.”Keyone Jenkins entered the game for UCF’s ensuing 4th and 4 attempt, which was the team’s final offensive snap of the game.Frost did not officially name Jenkins the starter for the Week 3 game at Georgia State. Jenkins served as the second-string quarterback in UCF’s 73-6 rout of FCS Bethune-Cookman in Week 1. He is the most experienced quarterback in the room, starting 32 games in three seasons at FIU. He totaled 6,713 yards as a passer, 312 as a rusher, and posted 42 passing touchdowns, 25 interceptions, and 13 rushing touchdowns roughly 220 miles south of Orlando.UCF played four quarterbacks in its opener against Bethune-Cookman. Barnett and Jenkins were the only ones who threw passes, and each delivered a touchdown. Boise State transfer Kaleb Annett saw his first collegiate snaps in the second half but did not attempt a pass. True freshman Rocco Marriott — UCF’s highest-ranked high school quarterback commit of all-time — also checked in and punched in a rushing touchdown.According to UCF’s Week 1 and Week 2 depth charts, Jenkins is next in line, b