ORLANDO – Fresh off the heels of yet another historic season for the men’s tennis program at UCF, the momentum surrounding the Knights’ squad continues to build as head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess and assistant coach Kareem Allaf announced the addition of prominent transfer Mohammed Alkotop from Florida State University ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Alkotop arrives in Orlando after establishing himself as one of the top young players in collegiate tennis, compiling a 55-24 overall singles record to go along with a 46-26 doubles mark throughout his career at both Florida State University and Utah State.
In his freshman campaign, Alkotop earned a conference nod in being named the 2024 Mountain West Freshman of the Year while competing with Utah State. The honor followed a breakout campaign that saw him make an immediate impact across both singles and doubles play throughout the middle positions.
In his first year, the Jordan native claimed a Mountain West Freshman of the Week honor after winning both his doubles and singles match to clinch the regular season title for the Aggies in 2024.
Following a successful two years in Utah, Alkotop made the jump to compete with Florida State for his third year in collegiate tennis. He immediately made an impact, securing the 2025 Bedford Cup doubles title in the fall. In doubles, Alkotop climbed as high as No. 82 in the ITA rankings alongside partner Azariah Rusher.
On the international stage, Alkotop owns ATP career-high rankings of No. 1769 in singles and No. 936 in doubles while also reaching No. 285 in the ITF Junior U18 rankings. He currently holds a 12.91 UTR rating entering the 2025-26 season.
Alkotop joins a Knights squad coming off another impressive year under Bruce-Burgess and Allaf, adding proven collegiate experience and depth as UCF looks to continue building on its postseason success heading into the new campaign.
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UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.