by UCF is making a quarterback change on Saturday. The Knights are true newcomers EJ Colson against Cincinnatia source tells On3. Former Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson came to UCF last offseason and started the first five games of the season for the Knights.
Jefferson has struggled in its last two losses to UCF Colorado And Florida. The quarterback has thrown for 1,012 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions this season, for a completion percentage of 59.3. A source told On3 that Jefferson was under attack.
Colson is 17 years old and will become the youngest starting quarterback in UCF history. The quarterback committed to the Knights in July 2023 and moved from the 2025 to 2024 recruiting class last December.
Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee have Colson on campus at some point during his recruitment. Colson threw for 5,969 yards and 68 touchdowns during his high school career and managed 1,354 career yards and 16 touchdowns Cedar Grove (Byron, Georgia).
With five years of experience with the Razorbacks, Jefferson was one of the most established names at his position in the winter transfer portal. He entered this year with 7,923 passing yards and 67 touchdowns with just 18 interceptions. The former four-star recruit from the class of 2019 has 39 career starts, for an overall record of 20-19.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously I said after the game last week that we need to play better around him [KJ]“, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said this week about the quarterback situation. “He also has to play better. I mean, we really need to train all of the above better. It was everything. So we understand that we didn’t have 300 yards of offense. And before that we were really rolling. So we really have to get better in all areas.”
UCF is 3-2 this season and 1-1 in the Big 12 and sits seventh in the league standings. Saturday’s matchup against Cincinnati begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
