Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!
In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.
For this entry, we have two players with the same jersey number. So, with 47 days to go, let's meet UCF linebacker Arthur Kingdom and tight end Sam Powell:
Position:Linebacker
Class:Junior
Height/Weight:6-foot-4 / 230 pounds
Hometown:Leicestershire, England
High School:Viewpoint School
Arthur Kingdom has taken a unique path to college football, consisting of several seasons playing for professional teams in Europe. Originally from Leicestershire, England, a county centered on the city of Leicester, Kingdom picked up the sport while attending the Viewpoint School in California.
During his senior season at Viewpoint in 2021, Kingdom was a tight end and middle linebacker, catching 32 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns on offense and making 35 total tackles on defense. He also played on Viewpoint's basketball and lacrosse teams.
On an episode of the No C.A.P. Podcast in November, Kingdom said that he did not reach out to any college programs for an opportunity back then because he did not think he would be able to further a football career, something part of him regrets.
So, Kingdom continued playing football in Europe, starting with his college team, Leeds Beckett University. From there, he played for the Great Britain national team, the BAFA National League Premiership's Manchester Titans and the German Football League's Potsdam Royals before ending up in the European League of Football in 2025.
Kingdom was named the European League of Football's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025 after recording 85 tackles, five for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble with the Prague Lions. He was a starter in 10 of the 11 games he played.
By the time UCF kicks off on Sep. 3, Kingdom is not going to have played a single snap of an official football game for over a year, with his last game for the Prague Lions coming on Aug. 17, 2025. He has also missed all of spring practice thanks to his arrival in June.
However, Kingdom does have an experience that only one other person on the team has: experience as a professional athlete. If there is a player who can get brought up to speed on a new system quickly, it would be him.
In the Knights' linebacker room, only Lewis Carter and Jahleel Culbreath started all of the games they played in last season, and behind them, there are only three players with sizable experience at the linebacker position: Jayden Jennings, Tackett Curtis and Rashad Henry. At the very least, Kingdom's addition brings UCF's experienced linebacker total to six, allowing it to be three-deep at both linebacker slots on the depth chart.
As for where Kingdom fits on that depth chart, that's going to depend on what he shows at fall practice and perhaps even during the early portions of the season. It could also be influenced by what class he is placed in. If he ends up classified as a junior, then he could afford to spend a season deeper on the depth chart and bide his time to earn the starting job in 2027, but if he is classified as a senior, then that would make five linebackers on the Knights' roster that are on their last season of eligibility.
Regardless of how much playing time he ends up getting, the fact that the Knights are going through the hoops necessary from a compliance and coaching perspective to bring Kingdom onto the team in the first place shows that they have something in mind for him. So, at a minimum, it seems likely Kingdom is going to take the field a few times in 2026. As for how long those appearances are going to be, well, we'll wait and see.
Position:Tight End
Class:Freshman
Height/Weight:6-foot-3 / 205 pounds
Hometown:Naples, Florida
High School:Barron Collier High School
Powell was a two-sport athlete in high school, playing not just on the football team as a quarterback, but also on the basketball team as a guard.
Barron Collier Cougars quarterback Sam Powell (8) passes the ball during the second quarter of the season opener against the Immokalee Indians at Gary Bates Stadium in Immokalee, Fla., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Powell threw 182 passes for 1,234 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran 110 times for 794 yards and 10 touchdowns during his senior season at Barron Collier High School, according to MaxPreps.
Considering that Powell is a fall arrival, transitioning from a high school quarterback to a college tight end and has to contend with the likes of Dylan Wade, Grayson Brousseau and Caden Piening in the tight end room, it is looking unlikely he is going to see the field in 2026.
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
No. 14 Alonza Barnett III and Kahmel Johnson
No. 15 Will Stone and Preston Hall
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucf as Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 47 Arthur Kingdom and Sam Powell .
