ORLANDO — At long last, it's officially game week for UCF's football team.

The Knights host Bethune-Cookman at 7 p.m. on Sept. 3, opening the second season of Scott Frost's second stint as head coach. UCF went 5-7 last fall, missing out on bowl eligibility and going winless (0-5) outside the Acrisure Bounce House.

A new starting quarterback, James Madison transfer Alonza Barnett III, and a strong returning group of starters fuels hope that UCF could push toward the top half of the Big 12 Conference. Through three seasons, the Knights are 7-20 against league opponents.

The Knights should unveil their first depth chart of the fall ahead of Frost's game-week press conference on Aug. 31. Most of the expected starters remain the same, but there have been a several shakeups along the offensive line and within the second string.

"I'm not sure what liberties I'm allowed to speak on, but I think we're pretty close to where we've got a good idea of who the guys are going to be … in the next couple days," offensive coordinator Steve Cooper said Aug. 24. "Not going to be a whole lot of shocks, I don't think. The guys that we've got are the guys that we've got, and we're excited about it."

Here is the most up-to-date educated guess, based on observations throughout training camp. Projected starters are italicized with heights, weights, eligibility and hometowns in parentheses.

UCF Knights football 2026 projected depth chartQuarterback

  • Alonza Barnett III (5-11, 210, RSr., Whitsett, N.C.)
  • Kaleb Annett (6-3, 200, RSo., Newport Beach, Calif.)
Running back
  • Duke Watson (5-11, 185, Jr., Forsyth, Ga.)
  • Taevion Swint (5-10, 185, RFr., Kissimmee, Fla.) or Landen Chambers (5-11, 215, RJr., Fort Worth, Texas)
Wide receiver
  • Waden Charles (6-2, 195, So., Boynton Beach, Fla.)
  • Jonathan Bibbs (6-1, 180, RSo., Birmingham, Ala.)
Wide receiver
  • Josh Derry (5-9, 182, Sr., Baltimore, Md.)
  • Tyren Hornes (6-0, 175, Fr., Bradenton, Fla.)
Slot receiver
  • Duane Thomas Jr. (5-8, 175, Sr., Miami Gardens, Fla.)
  • DayDay Farmer (6-0, 160, RSo., Melbourne, Fla.)
Tight end

  • Dylan Wade (6-2, 240, Sr., Orlando, Fla.)
  • Caden Piening (6-5, 245, RFr., Cincinnati, Ohio) or Grayson Brousseau (6-5, 245, RSo., Lehi, Utah)
Left tackle
  • Henry Tabansi (6-5, 306, RJr., Staten Island, N.Y.)
  • Laparka Langston (6-7, 285, RJr., Atlanta, Ga.)
Left guard
  • Brady Wayburn (6-5, 305, RSr., Gastonia, N.C.)
  • Cooper Terpstra (6-4, 305, RJr., Holland, Mich.)
Center
  • Connor Meadows (6-4, 300, RJr., Trenton, Tenn.)
  • Jacob Maiava (6-2, 280, RFr., Kahuku, Hawai'i)
Right guard
  • Owen Spell (6-8, 305, Sr., Jesup, Ga.)
  • Justin Royes (6-5, 300, RJr., Suffolk, Va.)
Right tackle
  • Preston Cushman (6-5, 305, RSr., St. Petersburg, Fla.)
  • Tyler Gibson (6-5, 308, RSr., Atlanta, Ga.)
Edge rusher

  • Isaiah Nixon (6-4, 245, RJr., St. Petersburg, Fla.)
  • Bruno Dall (6-7, 260, RJr., Hamburg, Germany) or Aymeric Koumba (6-5, 245, RJr., Bordeaux, France)
Defensive tackle
  • Horace Lockett (6-6, 355, RSr., Atlanta, Ga.)
  • Jeffson Lafontant (6-3, 295, RJr., North Miami Beach, Fla.)
Defensive tackle
  • RJ Jackson Jr. (6-3, 310, Sr., Choctaw, Okla.)orThomas Collins (6-1, 295, RJr., Gothenburg, Sweden)
  • Brad Gurley Jr. (6-2, 300, RSr., Bowling Green, Ky.)
Edge rusher
  • Sincere Edwards (6-3, 250, Jr., Orlando, Fla.)
  • Ken Talley (6-3, 260, RSr., North Philadelphia, Pa.)
Linebacker
  • Lewis Carter (6-0, 225, Sr., Tampa, Fla.)
  • Jahleel Culbreath (6-4, 222, RSr., Virginia Beach, Va.)
Linebacker
  • Tackett Curtis (6-2, 230, Sr., Many, La.)
  • Jayden Jennings (6-4, 235, 5th, Salem, Va.)
Cornerback
  • Jayden Bellamy (6-1, 190, RSr., Freehold, N.J.)
  • Jailen Duffie (5-11, 175, RJr., Waukegan, Ill.)
Free safety
  • Jayden Williams (5-11, 190, 5th, Valrico, Fla.)
  • Ty Bartrum (6-1, 205, RSr., Pomero, Ohio)
Strong safety
  • Demari Henderson (6-0, 185, RSr., Sanford, Fla.)
  • Caleb Flagg (5-10, 200, RSr., Houston, Texas)
Nickelback
  • Braeden Marshall (5-10, 200, Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.)
  • Matt Irwin (5-11, 180, Jr., Meridian, Idaho)
Cornerback
  • Antione Jackson (6-1, 185, Sr., Lauderhill, Fla.)
  • DJ Bell (6-2, 185, RSr., Pensacola, Fla.)
Kicker
  • Will Stone (6-2, 195, RSr., Austin, Texas)
  • Noah McGough (5-11, 175, RFr., Dallas, Texas)
Punter
  • Atticus Bertrams (6-4, 235, Sr., Sydney, Australia)
  • Mason Denaburg (6-4, 225, RFr., Merritt Island, Fla.)
Long snapper
  • Kyle Hicks (6-3, 235, RSo., Nashville, Tenn.)
  • Rocklyn Kelley (6-1, 225, RFr., Denton, Texas)
Kick returner
  • Duane Thomas Jr. (5-8, 175, Sr., Miami Gardens, Fla.)
  • Kaj Baker (5-8, 160, Fr., Miami, Fla.)
Punt returner
  • Antione Jackson (6-1, 185, Sr., Lauderhill, Fla.)
  • Josh Derry (5-9, 182, Sr., Baltimore, Md.)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football depth chart projection: O-line shakeup after training camp