UCF Brings In Linebacker From Across The Pond

Spring practice may be in the books, but the UCF Knights are not done adding new faces to their 2026 roster just yet.

The Knights officially announced the signing of 22-year-old British linebacker Arthur Kingdom on Tuesday afternoon via their social media accounts.

Welcome to UCF, @ArthurKingdom11 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/SU58V71ZPc
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) May 5, 2026

Kingdom, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 229 pounds, is coming off a landmark first season in the European League of Football (ELF), during which he was named the league'sDefensive Rookie of the Year. He recorded 85 tackles, five for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 11 games, 10 of them starts, with the Prague Lions.

Initially, the Brit's 2026 season plans had him playing for the Madrid Bravos, who were set to play in their first season in the European Football Alliance after two seasons in the ELF. This move would have kept him with his head coach from the Lions, Dave Warner. However, with the Bravos' ownership announcing the team would instead not be playing the 2026 season back in March, those plans fell through.

Before joining the Lions, Kingdom played in 15 games with the Potsdam Royals in 2024, helping them to a German Football League championship. According to American Football International, he recorded 74 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions that season.

While Kingdom first found american football at a young age, he said on the No C.A.P. Podcast back in November that he truly fell in love with the game after his family moved to the United States, which allowed him to play high school football.

"I graduated, and at the time, I didn't think I would, you know, be able to further my career," Kingdom said. "So, I didn't reach out to any schools, and I didn't, you know, talk to my coaches and be like, 'Put my name out there. I want an opportunity,' which, to this day, some part of me regrets, but we're here now, so who cares?"

Kingdom ended up attending Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom, which fields a football team in the British Universities American Football League (BUAFL). There, he caught the attention of the Manchester Titans in the BAFA National League Premiership and the Great Britain national team in 2023 before joining Potsdam in 2024.

While going from professional football in Europe to college football in the United States is not the most conventional route for a player, once it was confirmed that Kingdom still had collegiate eligibility, it was the "smartest" one, Evan Laufer, Kingdom's agent and a UCF alum, said.

With Kingdom's addition to the program, he joins tight end Kyle Burk as the second of UCF's non-high school signees since its main transfer portal activity back in January.

"In my experience, you always want to have a scholarship or two in your back pocket, and we kind of finished out the transfer portal with that in mind," Frost said back on March 31.

Currently, the Knights' linebacker room is set to feature a returning Lewis Carter, who Scott Frost said was "the number one guy" when it comes to defensive leadership. However, behind him there is another returner, Jayden Jennings, and a trio of transfers: Jahleel Culbreath, Tackett Curtis and Rashad Henry. Among those four other linebackers, only Culbreath has experience starting a full season.

Kingdom's exact position on the depth chart is going to depend on his ability to integrate into the program without being present for spring practice. However, regardless of where he ends up there, his addition means the Knights can now be three-deep with experienced players at both linebacker spots, allowing freshmen Preston Hall and Matthew Occhipinti to take their time with their development.

While Kingdom might not have thought he could further his football career when he graduated high school, his return to the States now gives him an opportunity to reach his main goal: the NFL.

"For me, the main goal is the NFL, but I can't go from, you know, rookie season in the ELF straight to the NFL," Kingdom said. "So, it's about the stepping stones to that main goal and make each one, you know, it's a challenge, but you're able to tick it off, because if you see that progress, eventually you're going to get there."

Catch up on more UCF news below:

The Next UCF Knights Players Who Could Follow Malachi Lawrence to the NFL

Scott Frost Provides Alonza Barnett III Update As Spring Practice Winds Down

Ranking UCF's NFL Departures from Least to Most Impactful for 2026

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