Quarterback battle still unsettled as UCF nears opener

Ten days out from the season opener against Jacksonville State, UCF head coach Scott Frost says the quarterback race remains wide open.

Frost met with the media on Monday and confirmed he has not yet chosen between Cam Fancher, Jacurri Brown and Tayven Jackson. While he acknowledged the decision could come later this week, he also left open the possibility that no public announcement will be made until game day.

“No, we’re not ready to announce yet,” Frost said. “I think the battle is still ongoing. Like I’ve said, I feel comfortable with multiple guys. I don’t know how soon we’ll make that decision, but we’re not ready yet.”

Assessing the contenders

Of the three candidates, Fancher brings the most experience after playing at both Marshall and FAU before transferring to UCF this spring. Frost said that background was apparent early in camp.

“I think early on he did the best job of getting in the huddle, having command, making the calls precisely, and helping everybody else get lined up, and that speaks to the experience level,” Frost said. “He’s played more ball. The other guys have caught up to a great deal and are doing a good job with that too, but you could recognize early on that Cam’s been in that position before.”

Brown, who transferred to UCF ahead of the 2024 season after beginning his career at Miami, has impressed Frost with his leadership and steady growth.

“Jacurri’s awesome. He’s a leader. He’s a great kid. He’s really talented. I wish I’d have had him for three or four years. It would have been fun to see that development because watching how much he’s grown in six or seven months has been amazing,” Frost said. “He’s a good player, a good quarterback, and has done a great job in camp. Like I said, we have a hard decision to make.”

Jackson, a transfer from Indiana who also spent time at Tennessee, has turned heads as well.

“Tayven’s been great,” Frost said. “I think it took him just a little longer to get comfortable with scheme, terminology, everything, but he can really throw it and spin it and does a good job running. He’s had a really good camp too and created a lot of explosives for us in multiple ways.”

Narrowing the decision

Frost admitted the back-and-forth nature of the competition has made it difficult to narrow down the field.

“It has changed in my mind, and sometimes it’s changed multiple times in a practice where you feel good about how somebody’s playing, and then there’s a mistake or a bad play, and somebody else makes a good play,” Frost said. “What I feel bad about is it’s not really fair to whoever’s going to end up playing. Their reps have probably been cut by 30% or 40% because we’re spreading the reps around.”

The head coach also ruled out the idea of rotating three quarterbacks once the season begins.

“I think playing three equally in a game, I don’t think you’ll get any kind of rhythm with that, so we’re going to have to make a hard decision. Playing two is hard. I don’t think rotating three is probably something that’s very likely.”

Frost noted the early part of the schedule—with a longer prep time between the Jax State (Aug. 28) and North Carolina A&T (Sept. 6) games, followed by a bye week prior to North Carolina (Sept. 20)—should provide some flexibility if the initial choice needs adjusting.

Still, he indicated he expects to have clarity before the opener, even if UCF doesn’t reveal the decision until kickoff against Jacksonville State.

“I think I’ll know before game day. I’m not sure I’ll say before game day, but I think I’ll know before game day,” Frost said. “And I wouldn’t spring that on somebody right before a game. I think they’ve got to get their mind right for whatever their role is and embrace their role. So hopefully we have an idea this coming week.”

SIGN UP: Join the UCFSports.com Community for $1

Discuss this article with diehard UCF fans in The Dungeon