Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff

Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!

In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.

This entry, however, will deviate a bit from that formula. During preseason camp, thanks to a ruling made in the Wisne v. NCAA case in Colorado, the Knights were able to bring back a familiar face from last season: linebacker Cole Kozlowski.

1. Who is Cole Kozlowski?

Left my mark. pic.twitter.com/PxNOCytJXQ
— Cole Kozlowski (@ColeKozlowski2) January 16, 2026

Position: Linebacker

Class: Fifth Year

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2 / 230 pounds

Hometown: Spring Lake, New Jersey

High School: Manasquan High School

Coming off a 2024 season for Colgate in which he recorded 133 tackles, the second-most tackles in the FCS, Kozlowski said during 2025's fall camp that he was "anxious" to prove himself when he made the transition to Orlando.

Back then, Kozlowski also said that he "clicked right off the bat" with UCF linebacker coach Mark D'Onofrio due to both of them sharing the same home state of New Jersey, with the coach hailing from Hoboken, across the river from New York City, while Kozlowski is from Spring Lake, a seaside town just over an hour's drive away.

2. What did he do last season?

BYU Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) runs against UCF Knights linebacker Cole Kozlowski (43). — Nov 29, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) runs against UCF Knights linebacker Cole Kozlowski (43) during the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After starting the season coming off the bench, Kozlowski earned his way into a starting role for the Knights' final eight games of the season, ending up with a total of nine on the season and seeing action in all 12 games.

Kozlowski was named an All-Big 12 Third Teamer and was an honorable mention for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after only coming short of fellow linebacker Lewis Carter by recording 82 tackles, 48 of which were solo. His 7.5 tackles for loss were tied for the second-most on the team along with EDGE Nyjalik Kelly and only came short of EDGE Malachi Lawrence. He also recorded two sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.

3. What role is he going to have in 2026?

Should the US Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals uphold the preliminary injunction that would allow Kozlowski to play in 2026, he would still have some progress to make if he wants to see the field again, simply due to the large gap of time since his last official college football activity, which was the end of last season.

D'Onofrio pointed out as much during the Knights' local media day.

"He would have some work to do in terms of getting in shape, getting his body right, doing all those kind of things," D'Onofrio said. "You know, the guys that I have in the room right now, they've been with me since January. They've been in OTAs, they've been in spring ball, they've been in training camp, they've been the ones training in the weight room and conditioning, all that stuff."

This would still be familiar territory for Kozlowski, since he did not begin the 2025 season as a starter either, but managed to earn the job later on. So, should the injunction made by Judge Charlotte Sweeney stand, he could have another opportunity to earn his way into a starting role in the midst of the season. However, even if he is not able to make up for the amount of time he's spent away from the game, he at least provides a reliable source of depth for the linebacker room, especially in the event of injuries.

Catch up on the rest of the list below:

No. 16 Dante Carr and TJ Branch

No. 17 Jailen Duffie

No. 18 Caleb Flagg and Caden Piening

No. 19 Rashad Henry

No. 20 Lewis Carter and Kaj Baker


No. 21 Ty Bartrum	No. 22 Amarion Queen	No. 23 Jordan Nunuha and Jayden Burnett	No. 24 Tackett Curtis and Arthur Lewis IV	No. 25 Rukeem Stroud
No. 26 Duke Watson and Elijah Keys	No. 27 Nicholas Antoine	No. 28 Matt Irwin	No. 29 Tyce Porcher	No. 30 Otis Hardy
No. 31 Noah McGough	No. 32 Matthew Occhipinti	No. 33 Phil Picciotti	No. 34 Jahleel Culbreath	No. 35 Agyeman Addae
No. 36 Dylan Bennett	No. 37 Rocklyn Kelley	No. 38 Jayden Jennings	No. 39 Andrea Parisi	No. 41 Bruno Dall
No. 42 Artavius Jones and Chance Nixon	No. 43 Cole Kozlowski	No. 44 Kyle Hicks	No. 45 Quentin Hatch	No. 47 Arthur Kingdom and Sam Powell
No. 49 Atticus Bertrams and Donnell Johnson III	No. 53 LaParka Langston	No. 54 Cooper Terpstra and Trenton Turner	No. 55 Jacob Maiava and Noah Mercer	No. 56 Patrick Ryan
No. 57 Camp Lott	No. 58 Connor Meadows	No. 61 Owen Spell	No. 66 Brady Wayburn	No. 67 Noah Senka
No. 68 Ethan Higgins	No. 70 RaiShaun McHaney	No. 71 Amahn Williams	No. 72 Dominick Campbell	No. 73 Henry Tabansi
No. 74 Matthew Prigmore	No. 75 Tyler Gibson	No. 76 Justin Royes	No. 77 Kasiyah Charlton	No. 78 Preston Cushman
No. 79 Daniel Marcellinus	No. 80 Elijah Hardy	No. 81 Zack Palmer	No. 82 Jordyn Bridgewater	No. 83 Dylan Burk
No. 84 Thomas Wadsworth	No. 85 Carson Hinshaw	No. 86 Chase Hinshaw	No. 87 Brooks Hall	No. 88 Grayson Brousseau
No. 90 Mujahid Jefferson	No. 91 Donteye Drew	No. 92 Jeffson Lafontant	No. 93 Brad Gurley	No. 94 L A Jesse Harrold
No. 95 RJ Jackson Jr.	No. 96 Anthony Coaxum	No. 97 Josh Schell and Mason Denaberg	No. 98 Alhassan Iddrissu	No. 99 Thomas Collins

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