Why UCF Losing Jamichael Stillwell Is Not As Bad As You Think
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A lot can change in two months.
Back on May 24, forward Jamichael Stillwell took to Twitter/X to reassure UCF Knights men's basketball fans that he would return to Orlando should his quest to gain an additional year of eligibility prove successful.
"yall got my word," Stillwell wrote in a since-deleted post.
That quest for an extra year of eligibility remains ongoing, as he is a party in a Cobb County lawsuit that is set for a hearing on an injunction on July 30 at 1:30 p.m., according to court records. However, should the judge's ruling be favorable, he is now not returning to UCF. Instead, he would be transferring to Texas Tech, Stillwell announced in a Twitter/X post on Friday afternoon.
I’m sorry Knight nation , just know yall have a spot in my heart forever …..💔🗡️
— Jamichael Stillwell (@JamichaelStill1) July 23, 2026
"I’m sorry Knight nation , just know yall have a spot in my heart forever," Stillwell wrote in a Twitter/X post on Thursday morning.
Considering Stillwell's contributions to the Knights in 2025-26, from being ranked 25th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game to getting nine double-doubles, not returning such production in 2026-27 might not be the most ideal thing for coach Johnny Dawkins. However, it might not be as bad as it may sound from the outset.
Here are three reasons why Stillwell returning may actually make things less complicated for the Knights:
1. They Don't Need to Fill an Empty Roster Spot
While the Knights are not going to get Stillwell back on their roster for the 2026-27 season, they also do not have to now scour available athletes in the transfer portal to fill his roster spot, since they already have the maximum 15 players.
This did beg the question of what the program would have done had Stillwell returned from a roster size standpoint, but now that that is off the table, the decision to max out its roster size without him means it does not have to scramble to add a 15th player shortly before the fall semester begins and have to bring him up to speed in a shortened amount of time.
2. They Still Have a Deeper Frontcourt
Last season, a lack of frontcourt depth proved an issue for the Knights in the wake of injuries to Stillwell and center Jeremy Foumena. Stillwell returning could have increased the quality of that depth, but even with him not on the team, the Knights' frontcourt is still going to be deeper in 2026-27.
In 2025-26, Dawkins had six frontcourt players at his disposal: three forwards and three centers. Next season, he is going to have eight: four forwards, two centers and two players that can play both, meaning that the Knights are going to be at least four-deep at both positions in 2026-27. So, even if the injury bug ends up striking again, it is going to be less likely that Dawkins is going to be forced into playing more small ball as a result.
2025-26 Frontcourt | 2026-27 Frontcourt |
|---|---|
Jamichael Stillwell, F | John Bol, C |
Jordan Burks, F | Isaiah Malone, F |
John Bol, C | Lewis Walker, F |
Jeremy Foumena, C | Churchill Abass, F/C |
Devan Cambridge, F | Elijah Hulsewe, C |
Elijah Hulsewe, C | Jason Asemota, F |
Dylan Mann, F | |
Ladarius Givan, F/C |
3. They Can Save Money
While Stillwell's revenue share and NIL earnings are not made public, the fact that Texas Tech has been the poster child of lavish spending in this new era of college athletics is an indication that the Red Raiders likely outbid whatever amount the Knights would have paid Stillwell had he returned.
On the downside, this means Stillwell is going to be taking his talents to a conference rival, but on the other side, NIL and revenue share money that would have gone to him can now be used for someone else. UCF has to be more frugal with such spending in comparison to Texas Tech, so it being freed from paying what likely would have been a sizeable sum for Stillwell's final collegiate season means they can spread it out among other athletes.
What the Knights end up doing with this extra NIL/revenue share space is up to them. They could divert it all to one particular athlete they want to keep, or across multiple athletes, potentially even across multiple sports. However, say it stays with the men's basketball program, perhaps they split it up between the basketball players already on the roster like Bol and Lewis Walker, helping incentivize them to stay in Orlando long term.
While the Knights' exact use of this spending is not made public, exact numbers do not need to be known to understand that no longer needing to pay for a player like Stillwell opens up a new avenue for how the resources that would have gone to him can now be used.
When one door closes, another one, or even more, opens.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
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Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 41 Bruno Dall
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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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