2026 Football Transfer Portal Central - UCF Lands QB Alonza Barnett III2026 Football Transfer Portal Central - UCF Lands QB Alonza Barnett III

2026 Football Transfer Portal Central - UCF Lands QB Alonza Barnett III

by Ken Landis

ORLANDO – Momentum is building quickly in year two of Scott Frost’s return to UCF as the Knights wasted no time making an early splash in the transfer portal process, announcing the addition of quarterback Alonza Barnett III. The reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and the driving force behind James Madison’s championship season and College Football Playoff appearance, Barnett made a name for himself as a Duke and looks to add an immediate spark to the Knights’ roster.

Through his redshirt junior season, Barnett has compiled an impressive 5,433 career passing yards with 49 touchdowns through the air while chewing up 1,075 rushing yards for an additional 23 touchdowns on the ground. Just this past season, he compiled 38 touchdowns, 23 through the air and 15 rushing. He ranked fifth in the nation in points responsible for, posting 232 for the Dukes. He also checked in at No. 24 nationally in passing yards per completion (12.99) and No. 31 in passing touchdowns.

The First Team All-Sun Belt quarterback finished the 2025 campaign in plenty of top 10 lists in James Madison’s program history, ranking fifth in single season rushing touchdowns, seventh in total offense and pass attempts, eighth in completions and ninth in passing touchdowns.

Barnett finished the 2025 season passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns while adding 45 rushing yards and a score at No. 5 Oregon in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

TRANSFER CLASS
A complete list of the 2026 UCF transfer portal class can be found below. Continue scrolling to read more about each individual transfer. Student-athletes will be listed once they are officially part of the 2026 UCF roster.

NAME POS. TRANSFERS IN FROM HOMETOWN
Alonza Barnett III QB James Madison Whitsett, N.C.
Landen Chambers RB Central Arkansas Fort Worth, Texas
Duke Watson RB Louisville Forsyth, Ga.
Josh Derry WR Monmouth Baltimore, Md.
Jonathan Bibbs WR Louisiana-Monroe Birmingham, Ala.
Cooper Terpstra OL Michigan State Holland, Mich.
Brady Wayburn OL UConn Gastonia, N.C.
Tyler Gibson OL Charlotte Atlanta, Ga.
Henry Tabansi OL Buffalo Staten Island, N.Y.
Bruno Dall EDGE Akron Hamburg, Germany
Thomas Collins EDGE Oregon State Gothenburg, Sweden
Ken Talley EDGE Arkansas Northeast
Tackett Curtis LB Wisconsin Many, La.
Jahleel Culbreath LB Old Dominion Virginia Beach, Va.
Rashad Henry LB UMass Miami, Fla.
Kahmel Johnson DB Wayne State Jacksonville, Fla.
Matt Irwin DB Idaho Meridian, Idaho
Caleb Flagg DB Missouri Houston, Texas
Jailen Duffie DB North Dakota State Waukegan, Ill.
Ty Bartrum DB Harvard Pomeroy, Ohio
Will Stone K Texas Austin, Texas
Atticus Bertrams P Wisconsin Sydney, Australia

Updated 1:20 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2026. Players listed above and below in position order.

Alonza Barnett-08546

Alonza Barnett III
QB | 5-11, 210 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from James Madison | Whitsett, N.C. | Grimsley

Alonza Barnett III was instrumental in James Madisons’ remarkable 2025 campaign. Named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Barnett piloted the Dukes to a conference title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. He threw for 2,806 yards with 23 passing touchdowns while adding 589 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground on the campaign.

Barnett capped his 2025 campaign with 273 passing yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 45 and a score in College Football Playoff at No. 5 Oregon. While decorated with plenty of awards for his efforts this past season, Barnett also performed at a high level in 2024, showcasing two seasons of remarkable quarterback play. All told, Barnett has recorded 49 touchdowns through the air in his career with just 13 interceptions while tallying an additional 23 rushing scores.

Landen Chambers-08541

Landen Chambers
RB | 5-11, 215 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from Central Arkansas | Fort Worth, Texas | Fossil Ridge

Landen Chambers ran all over opposing defenses in his redshirt sophomore season with Central Arkansas, chalking up 1,273 yards on the ground, ranking ninth in the FCS and ranking eighth in the FCS in rushing yards per game with an average of 106.1 yards per contest. He tallied 10 touchdowns on the season, including reaching paydirt a trio of times while adding 184 yards on the ground at North Alabama Oct. 11, earning a UAC Offensive Player of the Week nod.

His standout performance was the embodiment of the output he showed all season long as Chambers set the Central Arkansas school record with eight straight games of 100 or more rushing yards and reached the century mark nine times in the Bears’ 12 games. He earned First Team All-UAC (United Athletic Conference) honors at season’s end.

Duke Watson-09900

Duke Watson
RB | 5-11, 185 | Rising Sr.
Transfer from Louisville | Forsyth, Ga. | Mary Persons

Duke Watson burst onto the college scene in his true freshman season in 2024, leading the nation with an average of 8.9 yards per carry with the Cardinals. He was second on the team in rushing with 597 yards with seven touchdowns on 67 carries. He recorded a pair of 100+ yard games, going for a career-high 117 and three touchdowns on 11 carries at Stanford. Watson helped power Louisville to a 9-4 season, including a victory in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

Watson dealt with injury in 2025 but still saw action in seven games, compiling 158 yards and a touchdown. A four-star prospect out of high school, Watson rushed for 5,541 yards and 74 touchdowns at Mary Persons.

Josh Derry-09060

Josh Derry
WR | 5-9, 182 | Rising Sr.
Transfer from Monmouth | Baltimore, Md. | Concordia Prep

While the FCS doesn't designate concensus All-Americans, Josh Derry was exactly that last season, earning FCS All-America First and Second Team honors in each publication that bestowed one of the highest honors in the sport. Derry compiled an impressive 1,123 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 76 receptions in his junior season. Derry finished the season No. 3 in the FCS in receiving touchdowns, good enough for No. 1 in the CAA.

Derry tallied six games with over 100 receiving yards, including a season-high 177 yards and two touchdowns against Villanova, earning him a CAA Offensive Player of the Week nod. The Baltimore native posted three additional 100-yard games in his sophomore season as well as a 227-yard outing with two touchdowns on seven catches on the road against Maine. In high school, Derry played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks at Concordia Prep. He also competed as a member of the track and field team, becoming a gold medalist in the 400m dash and the 4x400m.

Jonathan Slim Jim Bibbs-09924

Jonathan Bibbs
WR | 6-1, 180 | Rising R-So.
Transfer from Louisiana-Monroe | Birmingham, Ala. | Spain Park

Jonathan Bibbs was an impact player for Louisiana-Monroe in his redshirt freshman season, posting 383 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches. Bibbs tallied the most receiving yards and catches of anyone on the team and averaged a solid 14.73 yards per reception. He suited up for all 12 games after playing in four during his true freshman campaign. His lone catch of his rookie season was a 65-yard touchdown.

Bibbs earned plenty of honors during high school, earning First Team All-County and All-Metro Wide Receiver honors at Spain Park. Bibbs goes by the nickname "Slim Jim" because of his frame; his parents also pass out Slim Jims to fans sitting around them anytime he scores a touchdown.

Cooper Terpstra-08558

Cooper Terpstra
OL | 6-4, 305 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from Michigan State | Holland, Mich. | West Ottawa

Cooper Terpstra has seen action in 10 games in each of the last two seasons with Michigan State. He earned his first career start at center in the final game of the 2025 season against Maryland, finishing the contest as the highest-rated offensive lineman for the Spartans.

A native of Holland Michigan, Terpstra attended West Ottawa high school where he was a highly decorated standout lineman. He earned First Team All-State accolades from the Associated Press, All-Region honors from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association and was named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team. He was a three-year starter on both the offensive and defensive line in high school.

Brady Wayburn-08906

Brady Wayburn
OL | 6-5, 305 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from UConn | Gastonia, N.C. | Loomis Chaffee School

Brady Wayburn joins the Knights after back-to-back 9-4 seasons at UConn. He played in all 12 games for the Huskies this season and was part of the nation's No. 3 run blocking unit, according to PFF. He graded out as the No. 42 overall offensive guard in the country, including the No. 12 run blocking tackle with a grade of 77.4 on the year, again according to PFF. All six of his starts on the season came at right guard.

Wayburn attended high school at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn. where he was a team captain and earned All-Founders League First Team and honorable All-NEPSAC honors. He also lettered four years in track and field during his time there.

Tyler Gibson-09055

Tyler Gibson
OL | 6-5, 308 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Charlotte | Atlanta, Ga. | Johns Creek

Tyler Gibson comes to Orlando after a pair of seasons at Charlotte. He started at right tackle in the 49ers final six contests in 2025 while playing in each game on the campaign. His participation in games doubled from the year prior, seeing six games of action in 2024.

Before Charlotte, Gibson was at Georgia Tech for two seasons, playing two games in each season and earning a redshirt in his true freshman season of 2022. He came out of high school rated as a four-star prospect. His brother Zach was a quarterback with Tyler at Georgia Tech before transferring to Georgia State in 2024.

Henry Tabansi-09043

Henry Tabansi
OL | 6-5, 306 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from Buffalo | Staten Island, N.Y. | Moore Catholic

Henry Tabansi comes to UCF after starting every game at left tackle for Buffalo over the past two seasons, tallying 25 consecutive starts in 26 career games. In his redshirt freshman season of 2024, he helped block for an offense that ranked third in the MAC in scoring offense and total offense, averaging 28.8 points and 397.1 yards per game. The Bulls went on to finish the season 9-4, winning the Bahamas Bowl. The 2025 campaign saw Buffalo finish fourth in the MAC in total offense, including ranking third in passing offense.

Tabansi was a three-year starter at Moore Catholic High School, earning All-State honors in the process. He also earned the Sal Somma Award as the best lineman on Staten Island.

Bruno Dall-00212

Bruno Dall
EDGE | 6-7, 260 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from Akron | Hamburg, Germany | St. Stanislaus (Miss.)

Bruno Dall earned All-MAC Third Team honors this season with Akron, tallying 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks from the edge rushing position. He also consistently got his hands up in the passing lane, earning six pass breakups and an interception in 2025. Three of his first four games of the campaign saw him tally more than one tackle for loss, including back-to-back 2.0 TFL outings at UAB and against Duquesne.

Dall is a native of Hamburg, Germany and arrived in the United States during the summer of 2022. He played just one year of high school football in America, recording five sacks and 81 tackles.

Thomas Collins-09559

Thomas Collins
EDGE | 6-1, 280 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from Oregon State | Gothenburg, Sweden | RIG Academy

Thomas Collins compiled 4.5 sacks in 2025 with Oregon State, where he's spent the entirety of his college career. He tallied 30 tackles, 11 of which were solo, while adding a couple of pass breakups and half a sack.

Collins got off to a blistering start in his redshirt freshman season, earning 2.5 tackles for loss over the first three games. He saw collegiate action in his freshman season, but played in just three contests, preserving his redshirt. Prior to college, he attended the RIG Academy which specializes in football.

Ken Talley-01041

Ken Talley
EDGE | 6-3, 260 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Arkansas | North Philadelphia, Pa. | Northeast

Ken Talley has spent his collegaite career on multiple Power 4 rosters, most recently playing with Arkansas this past season. He hit the field for a trio of contests, earning three tackles. Before arriving in Fayetteville, Talley spent two seasons at Michigan State, suiting up for a total of 15 games where he compiled 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles.

Talley originally began his collegiate career at Penn State, but didn't see playing time his true freshman season, transferring to Michigan State at year's end. He was a concensus four-star prospect coming out of Northeast High School and was ranked in the Rivals250 and ESPN300 as one of the nation's top edge rushers.

Tackett Curtis-08928

Tackett Curtis
LB | 6-2, 230 | Rising Sr.
Transfer from Wisconsin | Many, La. | Many

Tackett Curtis played in all 12 games in each of the last two seasons for Wisconsin, chalking up 56 tackles, 32 of which were solo and tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. He started the first seven games of the 2025 campaign and added one start in 2024.

Curtis spent his freshman campaign at USC, playing in 12 games while missing just the bowl game. He made eight starts as a rookie, totaling 40 tackles while recovering two fumbles and forcing one. Prior to playing college ball, Curtis was the 2022 MaxPreps Louisiana High School Player of the Year and won the state championship game MVP as a senior linebacker.

Jalheel Culbreath-00208

Jahleel Culbreath
LB | 6-4, 222 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Old Dominion | Virginia Beach, Va. | Ocean Lakes

Rashad Henry-08530

Rashad Henry
LB | 6-4, 222 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from UMass | Miami, Fla. | St. Thomas Aquinas

Kahmel Johnson-08520

Kahmel Johnson
DB | 6-2, 200 | Rising R-So.
Transfer from Wayne State | Jacksonville, Fla. | Riverside

Kahmel Johnson comes to UCF fresh off an award-winning campaign in his first full season of college football at Wayne State. After playing in two games and recording one tackle in his true freshman season, the Jacksonville native shone bright as a redshirt freshman. His standout season earned First Team Defense honors for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

Johnson proved he was among the premier defensive backs at the Division II level, as he ranked third in the NSIC with 12 passes defended, earning three interceptions and nine pass breakups, making way for his First Team All-Conference nod. One of his interceptions helped Wayne State earn an upset of No. 9 Minnesota State, who later made a run to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Kahmel tallied 37 tackles on the season, good enough for fifth on the team.

Matt Irwin-08933

Matt Irwin
DB | 5-11, 180 | Rising Jr.
Transfer from Idaho | Meridian, Idaho | Owyhee

Matt Irwin saw significant snaps for Idaho over the past two seasons, including playing in each game in 2025. He tallied 45 tackles on the campaign, 29 of which were solo while swatting aside a pair of passes. He recorded a career-best 11 tackles in back-to-back games, doing so at Northern Arizona (Oct. 31) and against UC Davis (Nov. 8). In his first collegiate game in 2024, Irwin recovered a fumble before later earing his first career interception later that season.

Irwin was a three-year starter at quarterback at Owyhee High School, tossing 20 touchdowns and passing for over 1,600 yards his senior season. His efforts led to the Storm winning their first playoff game in program history.

IMG_4073

Caleb Flagg
DB | 5-10, 200 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Missouri | Houston, Texas | North Shore

Caleb Flagg joins UCF after two seasons at Missouri. In his first season with the Tigers, Flagg saw action in 11 contests, compiling 20 tackles and forcing a fumble. In total, he saw 257 snaps in his junior season. His senior season of 2025 saw him play in four games, compiling four tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

Prior to Missouri, Flagg spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Houston Christian. He played in 21 games with seven starts, compiling over 100 tackles while nabbing two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He was a three-year letter winner at North Shore High School, helping lead the Mustangs to a 45-3 record including three consecutive state playoff appearances and a pair of Texas 6A D1 State Championship as a sophomore and senior in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Jailen Duffie-09355

Jailen Duffie
DB | 5-11, 175 | Rising R-Jr.
Transfer from North Dakota State | Waukegan, Ill. | Warren Township

An All-MVFC Second Team honoree this past season, Jailen Duffie joins UCF after starting his collegiate career with North Dakota State. Duffie missed just one game this season, starting at cornerback in each of the 12 games he saw action in. He earned eight starts the year prior, a year in which the Bison won a national championship. He earned 15 tackles in 2025, one of which was for a loss. Additionally, he forced a fumble and earned two pass breakups.

New UCF Defensive Backs Coach Will Johnson was the cornerbacks coach for North Dakota State the past two seasons, working closely with Duffie. Prior to starting his collegiate career, Duffie was a three-year starter at cornerback and wide receiver at Warren Township, earning First Team All-State honors his junior and senior campaigns.

Ty Bartrum-09891

Ty Bartrum
DB | 6-1, 205 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Stanford | Pomeroy, Ohio | Spring Valley (W.Va.)

Ty Bartrum was a three-year standout safety at Harvard, earning national recognition at the FCS level in consecutive seasons. The Crimson's sole team captain in 2025, Bartrum earned an AP All-America Honorable Mention nod as well as FCS Football Central All-America Third Team honors. He was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, the FCS' award for its national defensive player of the year. He's earned All-Ivy League honors in each of his three seasons, earning First Team the past two campaigns while earning Second Team honors his redshirt freshman season.

Bartrum helped lead Harvard earn an at-large bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in the Ivy League's first season of eligibility; the Crimson were nationally ranked for most of the year and finished the campaign with a 9-2 (6-1 Ivy) record. Bartrum earned 83 tackles in each of the past two seasons and has five career interceptions and eight pass breakups. He forced a pair of fumbles in 2025, one of which was in Harvard's playoff game against Villanova.

Will Stone-09887

Will Stone
K | 6-2, 195 | Rising R-Sr.
Transfer from Texas | Austin, Texas | Regents School

Will Stone was the kickoff specialist for the Longhorns over the past four seasons, seeing action in 47 games. He played in each game in his first three seasons with the Texas before playing in just four contests this past season, utilizing his redshirt. In 2024, Stone helped Texas lead the SEC and rank 13th nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing just 16.57 yards per return. All told, Stone has tallied 300 kickoffs, resulting in 139 touchbacks and 18,974 kickoff yards.

A native of the town he went to college in, Stone was a standout at Regents school, earning a five-star kicker rating from Kohl’s Kicking. He also rated No. 2 in both placekicking and punting in the nation by the National Kicking Rankings. In the recruiting ranks, Stone was tabbed as high as the No. 3 kicker in his class, according to Rivals.

Atticus Bertrams-09896

Atticus Bertrams
P | 6-4, 235 | Rising Sr.
Transfer from Wisconsin | Sydney, Australia | Newington College

Atticus Bertrams jonis the Knights after three years at Wisconsin, which were also his first three seasons playing the sport of football. A three-year starter for the Badgers, Bertrams averaged 42.8 yards per punt, chalked up 28 punts of 50+ yards and punted the ball inside the 20-yard line 65 times.

His career-long punt traveled and rolled 74 yards, pinning USC to their own one-yard line on Sep. 28, 2024. He ranked 12th in the FBS and second in the Big Ten with an average of 45.3 yards per punt in 2024 before being named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List to begin 2025.

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