Athlon Sports grades coaching hire of Scott Frost at UCF

The end of the Gus Malzahn tenure was an awkward one for the UCF Knights. After struggling in their transition to the Big 12 for two seasons, missing a bowl entirely in 2024. Then, he left to become an offensive coordinator at Florida State, leaving UCF to hire old friend Scott Frost.

As the calendar turns to summer, Athlon Sports graded out coaching hires, including Scott Frost at UCF. There, they gave a B+ for the hire.

“Can Frost recapture the magic from his first stint at UCF? From 2016-17, the Knights went 19-7, including a perfect 13-0 campaign,” Athlon wrote. “However, Frost’s tenure at Nebraska was a massive disappointment. With less pressure away from Lincoln, Frost should be able to thrive once again in Orlando.”

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UCF initially hired Scott Frost following their disastrous 2015 season when the Knights went winless in their final season under George O’Leary. Back then, UCF was in the AAC and Frost was able to quickly turn the program around. In his first season, he got the Knights bowl eligible. The next year, they’d go 13-0, win the AAC, win the Peach Bowl, and declare themselves national champions in the process.

That turnaround made Frost one of the biggest up-and-coming names in coaching. He’d leave UCF for Nebraska after just two seasons, returning to the team he won a national championship for as a player. However, that tenure never got off the ground and he’d go 16-31 in just over four seasons. The Cornhuskers never went to a bowl during Frost’s tenure there. After three games in the 2022 season, Nebraska parted ways with Frost.

Since Frost left Orlando, UCF has gone through some major changes. That includes two other head coaches, winning another conference championship, a change at athletic director, and most importantly moving from the AAC to the Big 12. So, while he has certainly changed since 2017, so has UCF.

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

Beyond Athlon, coaches in the Big 12 are excited to see what Scott Frost can do at UCF. In particular, one anonymous Big 12 coach had some encouraging thoughts on the hire.

“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.”

Excitement is growing in Orlando for Frost and UCF. Now, fans are going to be excited to see what he can bring to the team come opening night against Jacksonville State on August 28th.