The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: Running Backs
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UCF Knights coach Scott Frost marked the first season of his return to Orlando by bringing in nearly 70 new players, many of them from the transfer portal.
Though, how exactly did all those players fare in their first, and in some cases only, season as a Knight? Well, that is what this series is for. This transfer portal report card examines the 2025 UCF team, position group by position group, through the lens of its transfer portal additions.
Catch up with previous report cards below:
The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: Special Teams
The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: EDGEs
The UCF Knights 2025 Transfer Portal Report Card: Defensive Tackles
Next up, we examine the running backs room, which only made one addition via the transfer portal last offseason:
1. Jaden Nixon
Arriving in Orlando from Western Michigan, Jaden Nixon was the only running back Scott Frost and running backs coach Jimmy Beal added via the transfer portal. He ended up being the only rusher who played in all 12 games, recording 71 carries for 554 yards and seven touchdowns.
Nixon served as a change-of-pace back, only getting close to half the carries that starter Myles Montgomery did, though he leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
He also factored into the receiving game, pulling in 17 receptions for 88 yards.
Grade: B+
While Nixon's contributions on kickoff returns earned him an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honor, that was already covered in the special teams report card and is not going to be a factor here.
Nixon did not earn such an honor from the conference as a running back. Though that might have to do with his number of carries, which is the 24th-most in the Big 12 this season, which could have been even fewer had he not needed to take over as the Knights' primary back while Montgomery was injured.
However, Nixon's role as a change-of-pace back proved crucial for the success UCF's offense achieved this season. He maximized every touch he could get, averaging 7.8 yards per carry, the second-most in the Big 12. Additionally, aside from quarterback Tayven Jackson's 10 passing touchdowns, Nixon led the offense in touchdowns as well.
The Knights only brought in one running back from the transfer portal because it already had a large crop of freshman rushers in the room: Taevion Swint, Stacy Gage, Agyeman Addae and Chance Nixon. They did not need depth. They needed an experienced rusher who could be a change-of-pace to Montgomery, and that's exactly what they got.
So, while his volume meant he did not have the largest impact on the field, the production he did have served as an offensive bright spot for the Knights, which earns the 2025 UCF transfer portal class of running backs a "B+."
While Nixon's efforts might not have led to conference accolades, they did get him an invitation to the 2026 Hula Bowl, so he can showcase his abilities to professional scouts.
Next stop: Hula Bowl!!! @jusynixon has officially accepted his invite to the 2026 Altrua HealthShare Hula Bowl All-Star Game!! @UCF_Football pic.twitter.com/RDDl21GZQ7
— Hula Bowl (@Hula_Bowl) December 4, 2025
Stay tuned for more 2025 UCF Transfer Portal Report Cards.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Defensive Back Accepts Invite To Hula Bowl
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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