UCF Coach Scott Frost Shares Update on QB Keyone Jenkins

Keyone Jenkins' run as the UCF Knights starter came to a grinding halt, sustaining an ankle injury in the first half of Friday's loss to the Baylor Bears.

Coach Scott Frost said he believes Jenkins re-aggravated an ankle injury he's been nursing for a few weeks. Trainers helped the starter off the field, and star transfer Alonza Barnett III relieved him for the second half.

He completed 8-for-16 passes for 133 yards. Baylor's pass rush pressured him quickly, which led to -23 rushing yards on six carries.

Jenkins' availability for next week's road game against the Kansas Jayhawks is undetermined. Frost is confident in his quarterback room with Barnett's return, despite the injury bug that afflicts the position almost every season.

Barnett sustained a hamstring strain in Week 2's loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers, and ESPN's Pete Thamel reported he'd miss multiple weeks.

UCF cycled through multiple signal callers last season: Cam Fancher, Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown and Davi Belfort. Jackson started 10 of 12 games, but lingering injuries led to Fancher, Brown and Belfort earning legitimate snaps.

These injury issues extend back to 2021, when current Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel played for the program.

Gabriel suffered a season-ending clavicle fracture in the final minutes against the Louisville Cardinals. It was the third and final non-conference game.

Mikey Keene stepped up in his teammate's absence and threw for 1,730 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Barnett may return to the starter role he earned after transferring to UCF. He led James Madison to its first College Football Playoffs appearance in school history and faced off against the No. 5-seeded Oregon Ducks.

The star transfer earned recognition on many watch lists: the Manning Award, the Davey O'Brien and the Maxwell Award.

The 5-foot-11 signal-caller threw for 2,806 yards (208 yards more than in 2024), 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. JMU's offensive engine recorded five straight games throwing for 250-plus yards, including a season-high 303 yards against Appalachian State on Nov. 15.

Having carried his former team to the brightest stage in college football, Barnett is eager to do the same at UCF. The Knights are on a two-season bowl drought after back-to-back losing years.

Barnett is in a similar scenario to when he was back in Virginia. He's part of a program that hasn't made the postseason in several seasons and could be the catalyst that shifts the program's trajectory.

Injuries may have rattled the Knights' quarterback room again, but their star transfer is coming back if Jenkins misses time.