Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 92 Jeffson Lafontant
In this story:
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.
So, with 92 days to go, let's meet UCF defensive tackle Jeffson Lafontant:
1. Who is Jeffson Lafontant?
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: Redshirt Junior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3 / 295 pounds
Hometown: North Miami Beach, Florida
High School: North Miami Beach Senior High School
Fun Fact: He finished 5th in the Shot Put at the FHSAA Class 2A Track and Field State Championships in his senior season of high school.
Lafontant is one of three defensive tackles from the 2025 Knights squad that are returning for 2026. He began his college football career at Bethune-Cookman, where he stayed for two years, playing in eight games as a freshman and four as a sophomore in order to use his redshirt.
2. What did he do last season?
In his first season as a Knight, Lafontant played in 10 out of 12 games, all of which he came off the bench, serving as a co-backup to RJ Jackson Jr. alongside Rodney Lora. He recorded 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
3. What role is he going to have in 2026?
With RJ Jackson Jr. and Horace Lockett returning, plus the acquisitions of Thomas Collins, Brad Gurley and Josh Schell from the transfer portal, Lafontant could very well be looking at a similar role he held during the 2025 season: a borderline backup/third-string player. This is also under the assumption that his place on the depth chart is not usurped by Miami (FL) transfer Artavius Jones or a talented freshman like Trenton Turner or Noah Mercer.
However, with defensive tackle being the position that rotates the most, according to UCF defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin, this could still provide Lafontant with scattered opportunities throughout games during the season. They just might not be as plentiful as the aforementioned five players, unless the injury bug strikes.
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
No. 97 Josh Schell and Mason Denaberg
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.
Follow itsBrysonTurner