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Anonymous Big 12 coach offers encouraging view of Scott Frost's return to UCF

Danby:Daniel Hager•06/06/25•

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Nov 18, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost smiles on the sidelines during the second half against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-Imagn Images

Veteran head coach Scott Frost is headed back to UCF this season, where he coached from 2016-17. During his two years in Orlando, Frost led the Knights to a 19-7 record and a No. 7 ranking in the final 2017 AP Rankings.

An anonymous Big 12 head coach revealed in Athlon Sports’ 2025 College Football Preview that he believes that Frost resuming his old job could be a win-win situation for both parties.

“Usually, the trend of hiring the former coach back when the program was in a different league doesn’t pan out the way boosters think,” the coach said. “[Bobby] Petrino coming back to Louisville, for instance. But I think this is a situation where it might be good for both parties. [Scott] Frost and UCF put each other on the map. The talent level is higher in the Big 12, but the personnel and schematic blueprint he used the last time can still work.”

After a 13-0 season in which UCF downed Auburn 34-27 in the Peach Bowl (and claimed a National Championship), Frost departed to assume the head coaching job at his alma mater Nebraska. That decision however didn’t work out for Frost or the program, as the Cornhuskers went 16-31 (10-26) in his four years in Lincoln. He was fired after the third game of the season in 2022, where he then took two years off and spent last season as a senior analyst for the Los Angeles Rams.

“I think it’s a different job. It’s grown, and it’s grown because of good people here,” Frost said at his re-introductory press conference back in December 2024. “The leadership that was here when I was here. The leadership that is here now. Like I said, I like to think I had a little bit of a hand in where it’s gotten. Certainly, the coaches that I worked with and players that have been here and all the people who worked. It’s amazing what this place has blossomed into. Now, it’s in the big show in the Big 12. I have a ton of respect for the teams in that league. I’ve coached against a lot of them and understand that we have our work cut out for us. But UCF is a special place, and I think where it can go is special.”

Frost takes over once again in relief over former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, who had spent the prior four seasons at UCF. Under Malzahn, the Knights went 28-24 (16-18) and had struggled to adjust to the Big 12. After posting back-to-back nine-win seasons in the AAC, UCF went 6-7 and 4-8 in its first two Big 12 campaigns.

“When there is a heavyweight title fight and one fighter wins and the other loses and they have a rematch, it’s never the same fight,” Frost said back in December. “We’re running this back, and I made a decision to bring my family back and run this back. It’s not going to follow the same script. We’re going to have to make good decisions and do things a little bit different to get it there.”

UCF opens its 2025 season at home against Jacksonville State on August 28.

UCF 2025 schedule