What Riley Kugel Could Bring to the 2026-27 UCF Knights
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Guard Riley Kugel plans to return to the UCF Knights men's basketball team, according to Monroe County court records.
Kugel secured a legal victory on Sep. 23 after Judge Kara Kothe granted him an extra season of eligibility via a preliminary injunction, along with just under 100 other athletes.
While this ruling does not guarantee Kugel will suit up with the Knights this season, as the NCAA has filed a motion to stay the injunction, he is eligible to return to coach Johnny Dawkins' squad as of this article's publication.
Last season, after transferring from Mississippi State, Kugel led the Knights with a 14.4 points per game scoring average. He was one of their primary threats from three-point range, with 38.7% of his shots from there being successful. His 78 assists were also the second-most on the team, only coming behind Themus Fulks' 222, a program single-season record.
So, suppose that this injunction remains in place and Kugel returns to Orlando for a second and final season; here are three ways Kugel's return would affect the team:
1. Another Three-Point Threat in Starting Five
Kugel was one of UCF's primary threats from three-point range last season, converting on 38.7% of his attempts from beyond the arc. Of the Knights' backcourt additions from the transfer portal, only former Wofford guard Cayden Vasko shot from three-point range enough times in 2025-26 to amass a large enough sample size on par with Kugel's, and he shot 32.1% from three-point range.
While Dawkins did bring back guard Carmelo Pacheco, whose 39.4% shooting from beyond the arc does eclipse Kugel's, he was a role player who came off the bench last season to near-exclusively shoot threes. Considering how productive that role was for him, it would not be a stretch to say that Dawkins may not want to mess with what was already working.
So, bringing Kugel back in the fold can help the Knights bolster their three-point shooting abilities in the backcourt, particularly with their starting five.
2. One More Holdover
Over the past few seasons, Dawkins has needed to make near-complete roster turnovers, especially when it came to returning production from the previous season. Just last season, between graduation and the transfer portal, he lost close to all of his scoring production from the 2024-25 season. Should Kugel return, 30% of the points scored by the Knights' 2025-26 roster would be back for 2026-27.
Kugel's return would also provide a familiar face for center John Bol, a member of 2025-26's main starting five who is already confirmed to be returning for next season.
3. Backcourt Logjam
However, Kugel's return, especially to the starting five, could come with a double-edged sword, particularly in the case of one or more of UCF's newly acquired guards.
Without factoring in Kugel, there are three guards the Knights added from the transfer portal that are the likeliest to contend for a spot in the starting lineup: Vasko, Dior Johnson and Arturo Dean.
In addition to his ability to shoot from three, Vasko averaged 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds, plus tallied 131 assists, en route to an All-SoCon Third Team honor last season.
Johnson, who came off the bench in 35 games for the Knights back in 2024-25, returns to Orlando after earning the WAC's Sixth Man of the Year and being named to its All-WAC Second Team while playing for Tarleton State. He averaged 24 points per game in just 20 games played last season, and started in two of them.
Meanwhile, Dean may not have checked into a game last season, but he finished in the top 10 in the nation in steals playing for Oklahoma State in 2024-25. He also averaged 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
All three of these players have a case to earn one of two starting guard spots for the Knights, assuming Dawkins uses his newly acquired deep frontcourt for the other three spots. However, throw Kugel in the mix and assume he retains his starting slot from last season; instead of three players vying for two starting slots, they are vying for just one. It is unclear what impact, if any, this could have on the team's dynamics and chemistry, but the possibility of there being one is there.
As for further down the depth chart, while potential playing time for other guards like Tanner Jones, Jahda Swann and Mister Dean may be affected by a return from Kugel as well, their youth, plus their lack of playing time last season, would put them at a disadvantage for earning a starting role whether he was on the team or not. That being said, with how much roster turnover UCF has had in recent seasons, every decision the program makes, from playing time to roster construction, is going to be considered by players when the transfer portal window opens up again.
As of this article's publishing, Kugel has not been officially added to the Knights' 2026-27 roster, and with just under two weeks still to go before the squad travels to LSU for its first preseason exhibition game on Oct. 14, there is still time for the injunction to potentially be stayed or dissolved.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
What UCF's Offensive Line Has Gotten Right (And Wrong) in 2026
Can UCF Men's Basketball Get Riley Kugel Back?
The 2026-27 UCF Knights Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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