UCF looks to retain linebacker Cole Kozlowski as NCAA fifth-year eligibility ripple hits Class of 2022

UCF’s offseason planning is being shaped by eligibility rules that changed after a controversial court ruling in Colorado, extending fifth-year options for players who were part of the Class of 2022. With those added opportunities now in play, Knights head coach Scott Frost has indicated the program is working to bring back linebacker Cole Kozlowski, a player the team has continued to monitor while the eligibility window is being sorted out.

According to Frost, Kozlowski has been on campus and around the UCF program, suggesting that UCF is not simply watching from afar. The decision-making process, however, is described as more complicated than a straightforward return, because even with eligibility extended for the relevant class, there can be practical obstacles tied to how the extra year is handled and what it means for a player’s standing within a current roster framework.

The broader context for UCF is that the fifth-year rule adjustment has created a sudden re-opened lane for a group of players who would otherwise have had fewer options. For a program like UCF, that means a roster strategy that once leaned on a more fixed set of experience levels can now shift again, with coaching staff weighing who can realistically be added back, and how that affects scholarship, position depth, and team continuity.

Frost’s comments also reflect how quickly college football staffs have to move when eligibility policies change mid-cycle. When an extra year becomes available, it can alter the balance between incoming recruits and returning veterans, and it can influence how the staff prioritizes recruiting conversations and offseason workouts for positions that are both leadership-driven and physically demanding.

For Kozlowski, the immediate takeaway from UCF’s perspective is that the plan is to evaluate his ability to fit back into the defense and the program’s current priorities while working through the remaining hurdles Frost described. Because the report frames those obstacles as still present, Kozlowski’s path is not portrayed as fully settled yet.

What to watch next is whether UCF can finalize the details that determine how the extra year is applied and whether Kozlowski’s return becomes fully official. If it does, it would provide the Knights with a familiar linebacker presence and help stabilize an interior defensive group at a time when the overall roster picture is still being recalibrated league-wide.