Duke Watson holds the RB · Backup spot in UCF Knights’s running back room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Duke Watson is a junior running back at UCF who transferred from Louisville. The Forsyth, Georgia native was a four-star prospect at Mary Persons High School, where he rushed for 5,541 yards and 74 touchdowns across his career while averaging 8.3 yards per carry. As a Louisville freshman in 2024, Watson led the nation with 8.9 yards per carry and compiled 597 rushing yards and seven touchdowns across 12 games, including a 104-yard, two-touchdown performance at Kentucky. In 2025, his sophomore season, he totaled 158 rushing yards and a touchdown on 49 carries in seven games while adding a 30-yard touchdown reception in the season opener against Eastern Kentucky. Watson has been named to Athlon Sports' Preseason All-Big 12 Fourth Team Offense for 2026.

Louisville2024 – 2025

UCF2026 — present