{"id":817377,"date":"2026-08-21T14:09:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/817377\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:09:39","slug":"alonza-barnett-iii-embracing-opportunity-as-ucfs-quarterback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/817377\/","title":{"rendered":"Alonza Barnett III embracing opportunity as UCF’s quarterback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alonza Barnett III<\/a> has certainly been enjoying his time since arriving in Orlando in December.<\/p>\n

Ever since he signed with UCF<\/a> to be the Knights\u2019 new starting quarterback, Barnett has taken full advantage of the benefits of his new home. The school\u2019s slogan: \u201cLive where the world vacations,\u201d has never been truer for the 23-year-old Barnett.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been able to go to Disney (World). I\u2019ve seen (Universal\u2019s) Volcano Bay. I\u2019ve been to an (Orlando) Magic playoff game. All those experiences, especially in my last year of college football, I\u2019m very appreciative of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound right-hander transferred to UCF after spending four seasons at James Madison, where he led the Dukes to a 21-6 record as a two-year starter.<\/p>\n

Last season, Barnett guided JMU to its ninth double-digit win season, finishing with a record of 12-2. The team also clinched its 10th conference championship by securing the Sun Belt Conference title with a decisive 31-14 victory over Troy in the championship game.<\/p>\n

The Dukes earned a spot in the College Football Playoff before suffering a 51-34 loss to No. 5 Oregon in the first round.<\/p>\n

Barnett was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after completing 58% of his passes for 2,806 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 589 yards and a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns.<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t come as a shock to anyone that Barnett has been as successful as he has been.<\/p>\n

His father played defensive back at North Carolina A&T before a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, Barnett Jr. didn\u2019t thrust football upon his son, rather letting him choose his own path.<\/p>\n

\u201cFootball wasn\u2019t forced upon me. It was something I naturally gravitated towards. For me and my sister, he allowed us to choose our own path,\u201d Barnett III said.<\/p>\n

His journey began with a mix of baseball and track and field during his early years, but he eventually redirected his attention to football in elementary school. Initially playing as a flanker and safety, Barnett ultimately found his true calling as a quarterback.<\/p>\n

Along the way, his parents made plenty of sacrifices.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly mornings, long nights, not so many vacations,\u201d said Barnett. \u201cWe used vacations through sports, whether it was taking my sister to Virginia Beach for a track meet or things like that. There were a lot of sacrifices that they didn\u2019t tell me about, but as I\u2019ve gotten older, I\u2019ve grown to appreciate them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF defensive tackle Thomas Collins is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF running back Taevion Swint is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF player Horace Lockett is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF players walk between stations during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

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UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF player Sincere Edwards is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

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UCF offensive lineman Preston Cushman is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF linebacker Tackett Curtis is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF defensive back Jayden Williams is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF defensive back Demari Henderson is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF punter Atticus Bertrams is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF kicker Will Stone is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III (right) smlies as he walks in to be interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. At left is UCF assistant athletic director Ken Landis. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF defensive back Braeden Marshall is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF player Horace Lockett is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"UCF<\/p>\n

UCF running back Landen Chambers is interviewed during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III is pictured during UCF Football Media Day at the Nicholson Fieldhouse on the UCF campus on Thursday, August 6, 2026. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

His performance last season was one of the reasons why the North Carolina native was one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer market this offseason, with ESPN ranking him No. 21 in a group that included Sam Leavitt (LSU), Darian Mensah (Miami), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) and Josh Hover (Indiana).<\/p>\n

Signing Barnett was a priority for UCF and coach Scott Frost<\/a>, who desperately needed to find an elite quarterback to lead the Knights in 2026. Quarterback had become a liability position for the program the past few seasons, with six different players having started games over a 24-game period.<\/p>\n

The Knights haven\u2019t had a quarterback start every game in a single season since Dillion Gabriel in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t bring him in here to compete with anybody. We brought him in here to try to make him even better and hand him the reins and let him go,\u201d Frost said of Barnett.<\/p>\n

Barnett chose the Knights, in part, for the opportunity to play in a Power Four conference such as the Big 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not naive. I\u2019m a smaller quarterback in stature, so the thing (NFL scouts) want to see is what it\u2019s going to look like when he plays the Oregon\u2019s week in and week out in a competitive conference like the Big 12,\u201d Barnett said. \u201cThat was part of the lure that got me here, that and the pedigree of Coach Frost and Coach (McKenzie) Milton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milton, who led UCF to an American Athletic Conference championship under Frost\u2019s guidance in 2017, was immediately impressed with Barnett\u2019s poise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat separates him from most young men his age is just the attitude he approaches his work with every day,\u201d said Milton. \u201cProfessionalism is what you want in terms of face behind your program. Just temperament and demeanor, day in and day out. Don\u2019t get too high. Don\u2019t get too low.\u201d<\/p>\n

That poise and leadership have impressed many of his teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves the game,\u201d said wide receiver Josh Derry<\/a>, who joined the Knights as a transfer from Monmouth. \u201cEven during the time he was out in the spring, we still got to meet with him and throw on the side. We listened to him talk about the game and understand the coverages. It\u2019s great as a receiver to be around a guy that understands what we\u2019re seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barnett will try to revitalize an offense that finished 90th in scoring and 76th in passing and total offense. UCF hasn\u2019t produced a 300-yard passer since Timmy McLain threw for 321 yards in the Knights\u2019 48-14 win over Villanova on Sept. 16, 2023.<\/p>\n

While the on-field accomplishments are obviously important, Barnett knows it\u2019s just part of what makes a quarterback successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing for me is the leadership. Continuing to show not only through verbal but body language, raising energy and raising the standard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Still, Barnett knows the expectations are high for a program that hasn\u2019t qualified for a bowl game since the 2023 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy expectations of myself are so much greater than what anybody could ever say. So naturally, there\u2019s a chip on my shoulder. I don\u2019t think I look for external reasons for motivation, but just the internal reasons and beliefs of what Coach Frost has put on me to be a leader of this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Sign up for the Sentinel\u2019s Knights Weekly<\/a> newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alonza Barnett III has certainly been enjoying his time since arriving in Orlando in December. Ever since he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":817378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3779],"tags":[7,325,420,165,48,6,1725,47,76,3883,80939,66,8858],"class_list":["post-817377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando-magic","tag-basketball","tag-college-sports","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-magic","tag-nba","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-magic","tag-orlandomagic","tag-social-sports","tag-sports","tag-ucf-knights"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117133900155312708","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=817377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/817378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=817377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=817377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=817377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}