There was another massive change in college athletics, as the NCAA moved to allow eligibility for five full seasons. This lead to lawsuits from players who weren’t grandfathered in, and a controversial court ruling in Colorado to let the Class of 2022 go back to school. Now, it looks like the UCF Knights are going to try and participate in that.
According to reports, UCF is bringing back linebacker Cole Kozlowski for an additional season. Kozlowski was on campus Wednesday and, apparently, is already practicing again. UCF also shared an image of him at practice on social media.
This comes after Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA. It granted a fifth season of eligibility for all Class of 2022 athletes.
That ruling did come with some caveats. In particular, that those athletes must still adhere to transfer rules, roster limits, revenue sharing, or professional participation. So, it won’t likely be a free-for-all, but for teams like UCF that have room for former players, they’re allowed to come back.
The NCAA itself is still pushing back hard against the ruling. NCAA President Charlie Baker is using it to push for Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, while the NCAA itself is also appealing the ruling.
For his part, Kozlowski needs to quickly get back into game shape. UCF opens the season in less than a month, on September 3rd, against Bethune-Cookman.
What Cole Kozlowski Has Done for the UCF Knights in the Past
Cole Kozlowski began his career playing at the FCS level for Colgate before transferring to UCF for the 2025 season. What was supposed to be his final college season ended up being an impressive one. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker earned Third-Team All-Big 12 honors.
Playing in 12 games, Kozlowski earned nine starts. In the end, he tallied 82 total tackles. That was second on the team. His 7.5 tackles for a loss were also tied for second-most on the team. He also had 2.0 sacks, 3 PBUs, and a forced fumble. It’s production UCF would love to get back on the field.
UCF is led defensively by star linebacker Lewis Carter. He’s coming off a 92-tackle season. On top of that, the Knights dipped into the Transfer Portal for Tacket Curtis, Jahleel Culbreath, and Rashad Henry. So, it will be interesting where Kozlowski actually fits into the lineup. In particular, if he still needs to get into shape.
UCF HC Scott Frost on Adding Cole Kozlowski
UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost knows his team needs to find a way to spark a turnaround in 2026. So, while speaking to the media on Monday, he shared that he was open to having Cole Kozlowski return.
“We’ll always look for ways to upgrade our roster, but it’s way too early to know what that means at this point. We’re certainly exploring some options,” Frost said.
That doesn’t mean UCF is bringing in anyone and everyone. The fit still matters.
“It’s got to be the right guy. We have such a good culture. We’ve got such a good thing in the building. It’s got to be the right guy,” Frost said. “We’re trying to figure all that out, just like everybody else right now.”
It appears that Kozlowski fits what Frost and UCF want. With anticipation building in Orlando for the season, this is just another reason for Knights fans to be excited about a potential turnaround.
UCF Knights Add LB Cole Kozlowski to Roster Following Controversial Court Ruling