Any hope that UCF Knights fans had that starting quarterback Alonza Barnett would be back for Saturday’s massive matchup against the BYU Cougars seemed to get quashed on Tuesday. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Barnett will once again be unavailable for the Knights.
“Sources: UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III will not start again for UCF against No. 2 BYU in Orlando on Saturday,” Thamel wrote. “He’s still recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered at Pitt on Sept. 12. UCF is expected to start Keyone Jenkins for fifth-straight game.”
Barnett hasn’t been able to play for UCF since the end of Week 2, back on September 12th. He suffered a hamstring injury on a wet field against Pitt and has since been replaced by Keyone Jenkins.
UCF Knights Offensive Coordinator Steve Cooper Contradicts Reporting
There is a chance that Pete Thamel may have jumped the gun on his reporting. At the very least, there’s a chance UCF wants to leave the door open for Alonza Barnett to return on Saturday.
UCF offensive coordinator Steve Cooper spoke publicly on Tuesday about Barnett. According to him, Barnett has a much more positive outlook.
“Yeah, AB is getting closer every day,” Cooper said. “I’m really pleased with the progress that he’s made since the Pitt game. And in relationship to whatever breaking news, we’re still working through it. We’ve still got a couple more days of practice. We’re getting closer, and I’m excited and pleased that he’s making fast progress.”
Cooper would be pressed on the issue. Still, he wasn’t willing to give a definitive answer on whether or not he’d play for UCF on Saturday.
“Yeah, I think there’s a fair chance that he’ll be ready to go if everything goes well this week in practice,” Cooper said. “There’s still a lot to be decided there. Big picture, he could be available. I just don’t know yet.”
Cooper would go on to confirm that Barnett has returned to practicing for UCF. The coaching staff is happy with his progress, but he’s still limited. So, they’re likely to use the entire week to make a decision.
UCF HC Scott Frost on Alonza Barnett’s Progress
UCF head coach Scott Frost was also recently asked about Alonza Barnett. As he explained on Monday, there are positives, but they also don’t want him to risk getting injured worse than he already is with the hamstring.
“Yeah, I think he’s making really good progress,” Frost said. “He looks good. He’s doing a lot of things. I want to make sure he’s ready to go if we put him out there. You know, that position, you might not have to run for 10 plays, and then you’ve got to run away from some really big guys trying to get you. The rest of the game, I know he can do.”
In two games this season, Barnett is completing 63.3% of his passes for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown.
The Big 12 does release official availability reports. However, those won’t be coming out until Wednesday night.
Report Emerges on Status of UCF QB Alonza Barnett vs. BYU