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.So, with 27 days to go, let's meet UCF defensive back Nicholas Antoine:Who is Nicholas Antoine?What did he do last season?What role is he going to have in 2026?1. Who is Nicholas Antoine?Position: Defensive BackClass: Redshirt SeniorHeight/Weight: 6-foot-4 / 205 poundsHometown: Daytona Beach, FloridaHigh School: Mainland High SchoolAfter spending time on the football, basketball and track and field teams for Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Antoine elected to stay in central Florida by committing to the Knights before the 2022 season. Under Gus Malzahn, Antoine never saw the field, spending his first three seasons in Orlando working with the scout team.2. What did he do last season?Antoine made his college football debut in 2025, playing in five games for the Knights. Four of those five appearances were UCF's last four games of the season.Not long after Antoine played in the Knights' final game of the 2025 season against BYU, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a focus on Exercise and Sport Physiology. 3. What role is he going to have in 2026?With Antoine now in his redshirt senior season, it is not out of the question for him to see the field once again in 2026, particularly in the Knights' season-opener against FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman, in any game that enters into garbage time or on Senior Knight against Iowa State.However, despite being the tallest player in the defensive back room at 6-foot-4, any snaps Antoine gets are likely going to be few and far between since he is a part of a defensive back room that's one of the deepest on the entire Knights roster even when exclusively factoring in its returners: Antoine Jackson, Demari Henderson, Jayden Williams, Braeden Marshall, Jayden Bellamy and DJ Bell, all of whom saw playing time last season. This is in addition to a trio of experienced transfers: Ty Bartrum, Matt Irwin and Jailen Duffie.Catch up on the rest of the list below:No. 28 Matt IrwinNo. 29 Tyce PorcherNo. 30 Otis HardyNo. 31 Noah McGoughNo. 32 Matthew OcchipintiNo. 33 Phil PicciottiNo. 34 Jahleel CulbreathNo. 35 Agyeman AddaeNo. 36 Dylan BennettNo. 37 Rocklyn KelleyNo. 38 Jayden JenningsNo. 39 Andrea ParisiNo. 41 Bruno DallNo. 42 Artavius Jones and Chance NixonNo. 43 Kyle HicksNo. 45 Quentin HatchNo. 47 Arthur Kingdom and Sam PowellNo. 49 Atticus Bertrams and Donnell Johnson IIINo. 53 LaParka LangstonNo. 54 Cooper Terpstra and Trenton TurnerNo. 55 Jacob Maiava and Noah MercerNo. 56 Patrick RyanNo. 57 Camp LottNo. 58 Connor MeadowsNo. 61 Owen SpellNo. 66 Brady WayburnNo. 67 Noah SenkaNo. 68 Ethan HigginsNo. 70 RaiShaun McHaneyNo. 71 Amahn WilliamsNo. 72 Dominick CampbellNo. 73 Henry TabansiNo. 74 Matthew PrigmoreNo. 75 Tyler GibsonNo. 76 Justin RoyesNo. 77 Kasiyah CharltonNo. 78 Preston CushmanNo. 79 Daniel MarcellinusNo. 80 Elijah HardyNo. 81 Zack PalmerNo. 82 Jordyn BridgewaterNo. 83 Dylan BurkNo. 84 Thomas WadsworthNo. 85 Carson HinshawNo. 86 Chase HinshawNo. 87 Brooks HallNo. 88 Grayson BrousseauNo. 89 Caleb RollersonNo. 90 Mujahid JeffersonNo. 92 Jeffson LafontantNo. 93 Brad GurleyNo. 94 L A Jesse HarroldAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow