The UCF Knights' injuries this season have been like the hydra of Greek mythology: take care of one and two more would take its place.
Despite the bye week giving several players a chance to make progress on their injuries and move closer to returning, a couple of new injuries have emerged, once again making UCF's player availability report more crowded than No. 2 BYU's.
Below is a breakdown of both teams' player availability reports and what they mean for both teams for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. matchup:
Three offensive linemen have once again found themselves on the Knights' Wednesday report, all of whom missed their last game against Oklahoma State, which Frost said has "caused a little bit of a hiccup" to Marc Daniels of 96.9 The Game on Wednesday night.
Both Owen Spell and Tyler Gibson have been ruled out. This would mark Spell's fourth missed game and Gibson's second.
Gibson's loss is more of a loss of depth, given he is listed as the backup right tackle behind. As for Spell, however, he started the season as the Knights' starting right guard. His listed backup on the Knights' unofficial depth chart is Michigan State transferit waswho earned a start on the Knights' line in Stillwater.
UCF does have the chance, however, to get one of their lineman back on Saturday in redshirt freshman Jacob Maiava , who was ruled questionable. The designation is consistent with Frost saying that he thinks Maiava would be "back soon" on Wednesday night. The native Hawaiian, who assumed the Knights' starting center role against Georgia State, picked up three starts before going down with what Frost called a soft tissue injury in his groin.
Things are looking up when it comes to quarterback injuries, as not only is Keyone Jenkins not listed in the report for the first time since Big 12 play began, but it also marks the week that Alonza Barnett III 's window to return opens up after being ruled questionable.
Frost said on Wednesday night that Barnett was practicing and that he "was close" to returning, even leaving open the possibility of him playing against the Cougars if the Knights "really needed him." However, he did not want to risk him re-injuring his hamstring.
"You have to be healthy enough to run away from the pass rush and take off running at full speed when you need to," Frost said.
While the linebacker room also has three players on Wednesday's report, their prospects look more optimistic.
Both Jahleel Culbreath and Jayden Jennings , who both took the field against Oklahoma State, were ruled probable.This gives the Knights a pair of starting linebackers to deploy with Lewis Carter being ruled out.
Saturday is set to mark UCF's fourth consecutive game without Carter, though Frost said on Wednesday night that he thinks his "leader on defense" can return for the Knights' following game against Baylor.
In the meantime, however, the linebacker room did get some reinforcement in the form of Cole Kozlowski , thanks to an Orange County court granting him an injunction. Making his 2026 debut against Oklahoma State, Frost said he "didn't play bad," but did not look like the Kozlowski of 2025.
"Hopefully, another couple weeks, and he'll shake the rust off and be even better," Frost said.
Barnett is not the only Knight who has been out for a majority of the season and could make a return on Saturday. Wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr. , who has yet to make his 2026 debut, has been designated questionablefor a second straight week.
"He's physically almost where he needs to be," wide receivers coach Sean Beckton said on 96.9 The Game on Wednesday night. "Just the mental aspect coming off a hamstring, you know, is, you know, really trying to get him to smooth his way back into the playing style."
UPDATE: Duane Thomas Jr. designation was upgraded to probable on the Knights' Friday night report.
Thomas returning would help provide some reinforcement to a wide receiver room that is once again going to be down one Caleb Rollerson , who has been ruled outfor a second straight game. However, with wide receiver being one of the Knights' deeper position rooms, even without Thomas, there is still going to be several passing options for them like Josh Derry , Waden Charles , Tyren Hornes , Caden Piening , DayDay Farmer and more.
Of the five total players ruled outby the Knights in their Wednesday report, only one had not been ruled out for a game before this week: running back Taevion Swint .
Swint is no stranger to injury. He was sidelined all of last season after sustaining an injury to his meniscus. However, this Saturday is set to mark his first time missing a game in 2026.
Only Duke Watson has rushed the ball more than Swint this season. The redshirt freshman has logged 32 carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He has also factored into the passing game with four receptions for 18 yards and is the Knights' starting kickoff returner, averaging 29.9 yards per return.
In the backfield, Swint's absence could leave room for power back Landen Chambers to earn some more carries against the Cougars. However, if Frost still wants to have three primary running backs at his disposal, then this could be an opportunity for sophomore Agyeman Addae , who has made the most of limited touches in 2026, tallying 74 yards and a touchdown on just four carries and 15 yards on one reception.
As for Swint's kick return duties, Watson is listed as his backup, though Addae is actually the only other Knight who has returned a kick this season. So, the sophomore could potentially help fill in for Swint in both of his roles on Saturday.
While not ruled out yet, the chances of defensive back DJ Bell and defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr. playing on Saturday are not looking favorable after being designated doubtfulon Wednesday.
THURSDAY UPDATE: Bell was officially ruled out for Saturday's game in Thursday's report.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Jackson was officially ruled out for Saturday's game in Friday's report.
Bell is listed as a co-starting cornerback alongside Jayden Bellamy , who could take a larger snap share on Saturday. However, this could also be an opportunity for redshirt freshman Rukeem Stroud to earn a larger snap share.
As for Jackson, this is not his first encounter with the injury bug this season, as he missed the Knights' first two games of the season. Since he is part of a main rotation at defensive tackle with Horace Lockett , Jeffson Lafontant , and Thomas Collins , there are players who can take an increased snap share to make up for his absence. Though, if another player were to get an increase in snaps as a result of his absence, it would be Brad Gurley , who is listed as his backup on the Knights' depth chart.
Trenton Turner could also factor into the Knights' defensive tackle plans, since his probabledesignation on Wednesday signals his likely return to the field for the first time since the Pittsburgh game. Also designated probableon Wednesday are EDGE Bruno Dall , tight end Dylan Burk and long snapper Kyle Hicks .
While Dall and Burk are depth options for UCF at their respective positions, Hicks is the Knights' starting long snapper. So, should he be rendered unavailable later in the week, redshirt freshman Rocklyn Kelley would step into the role in his stead.
The Cougars had just three players listed in their initial player availability report on Wednesday night.
Running back LJ Martin, last season's Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, was the only player BYU ruled out.He isstill nursing a lower body injury he sustained early on in a game against TCU on Oct. 3, which ESPN's Max Olson reported would keep him out for four to six weeks.
While Preston Rex and Journee Tonga have stepped up in the backfield in place of Martin, neither has been able to replicate the rushing his rushing production. The duo has combined for 161 yards on 42 carries, averaging 3.83 yards per carry, and one touchdown. Martin has averaged 7.8 yards per carry this season.
This has left quarterback Bear Bachmeier to become the Cougars' leading rusher. During the three games that Martin has been injured for, he's logged 220 yards on 37 carries, along with four touchdowns.
Martin may not be the only Cougar sidelined on Saturday, as starting right guard Kyle Sfarcioc has been deemed questionable.The sixth-year player out of Peoria, Arizona, has played and started in five of the Cougars' six games so far this season, including their win last weekend over Notre Dame. Should he be ruled out later in the week, BYU's depth chart has redshirt sophomore Joe Brown set to take his place.
Finally, defensive back Tommy Prassas, who is listed as a co-starter at strong safety on BYU's depth chart, is listed as probable. While he may be likely to play, should his condition worsen later in the week or he takes on a reduced snap count, senior Raider Damuni could take on a more prominent role.
UPDATE: Prassas was removed from the Cougars' Thursday report, confirming his availability for Saturday's game.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucf as UCF Running Back Ruled Out vs. BYU: Injury Report Breakdown .
