Scott Frost praises RJ Harvey, believes Myles Montgomery is ready to step up
UCF is moving forward without one of its most dynamic offensive weapons from a season ago. While Scott Frost didn’t coach him, he knows the Knights are tasked with replacing one of the best running backs in program history.
RJ Harvey, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards in 2024, is now in the NFL as a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos. Although Frost never personally worked with Harvey, he quickly came to admire him both on and off the field.
“I’ve gotten to meet RJ a few times since I’ve been here,” Frost said during his pre-camp press conference. “It’s my son’s name — Ashley and I had our RJ in 2017 — so he’s got the same name as my son, so my son likes him. But what a good guy. I think he landed in a really good spot, in a place where he’s going to get an opportunity to compete and do well. So I’m excited for him. You don’t really replace guys like that.”
With Harvey now gone, the focus shifts to who’s next in the UCF backfield. Frost didn’t hesitate to point to senior Myles Montgomery as a player ready to step into that role.
A Jacksonville native who transferred in a year ago from Cincinnati, Montgomery quietly put together a strong 2024 season while playing behind Harvey. He appeared in 10 games, rushing for 293 yards on 51 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per attempt, scoring four total touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown reception.
“Myles Montgomery in particular has been in the shadow for quite a while and he’s a really good player,” Frost said. “So it’s exciting to see guys like that get their chance. I remember being at Oregon and LaMichael James was second in the Heisman, but we had a couple guys like Kenjon Barner behind him, and the next year you were able to see what Kenjon Barner could do. I’m hoping that same thing happens for Myles.”
Montgomery will be backed by a deep and diverse group of running backs that includes transfer Jaden Nixon along with freshmen Stacy Gage and Taevion Swint.
“Those guys really fit what I want to do offensively,” Frost added. “There’s no replacing a guy like RJ, but I do feel really good about the guys that we have that are going to be toting the rock this year.”
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