Anthony Rossetti
UCF Author
The 2017 UCF Knights under head coach Scott Frost captured the attention of the college football world, going undefeated in the regular season, winning the American Athletic title and the Peach Bowl over Auburn.
Frost went 19-7 in his two seasons there, including a 13-0 perfect season. The 2017 Knights claimed a National title after their victory over Auburn.
Two seasons prior, the Knights were just 0-12 under George O’Leary but Frost was determined to turn UCF back into a non-power five powerhouse.
In Frost’s first season, they went 6-7, reaching a bowl game, which seemed to be a big step.
Nevertheless, in 2017 the Knights took an even more sizable step. This time into national championship prestige.
With an opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff, Frost coached up his squad and prepared them for a shootout against the no. 16 Memphis Tigers in the American Athletic title game.
The Tigers featured the number two offense in total yards.
UCF, however, was number one in total yards and points per game, scoring over 48 points a game.
McKenzie Milton and the UCF explosive offense took down Memphis yet again behind Milton’s 494 yards passing with five touchdowns. Tre’quan Smith and Derick Snelson combined for 306 yards and 4 touchdowns, winning in a 62-55 double overtime shootout.
Nonetheless, the undefeated season and American Athletic title wasn’t enough to punch their ticket to the playoff as both Alabama and Georgia both received bids.
The Knights still had a chance to prove themselves taking on Auburn, a team that beat both Alabama, who won the title, and Georgia.
Down 20-13, UCF tallied 21 unanswered points which was capped off with a Chequan Burkett 45-yard pick six on 34-20. The Knights went on to win the Peach Bowl 34-27 and then claimed a National Title.
Frost won coach of the year. They were the first team to go winless to undefeated in just two years.
The Knights did everything they needed to do and played perfect. In fact, this play carried over to the next season after Frost left for Nebraska as they finished their win streak at 25 games win streak when LSU defeated them in the 2018 Fiesta Bowl.
In 2015, the Knights were winless with losses to Florida International and an FCS team, Furman. O’Leary, despite much success with the program and with quarterback Blake Bortles at the helm at a time, was on his way out of football and retired.
Frost turned things around quickly. He took a chance on three star quarterback Milton and brought along the likes of Smith, wide receiver Gabe Davis, and tight end Jordan Akins who all olat or played in the NFL.
On defense Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, and first round picks defensive lineman Trysten Hill and cornerback Mike Hughes also played under Frost.
Frost jumped ship to Nebraska in 2018. Heupel picked up where Frost left off, leading the team to a 12-1 record and an American Athletic title.
Frost set-up a winning culture for Heupel who went into his first coaching job at UCF.
Heupel went 28-8 in his three seasons there. Gus Malzahn then spent four seasons at UCF and finished with an average 28-24 record.
Malzahn left the program last season with a 4-8 record in 2024.
Despite a rough tenure at Frost’s alma mater in Nebraska going 16-31, the Knights will yet again take a chance on Frost, but can he rekindle the magic?
Frost brought attention to UCF. The winless 2015 Knights looked it was running into a tradition of losing, but that was far from what happened. From 2017 to 2022, the Knights had six straight winning seasons, including three straight ten plus win seasons.
This meteoric rise attracted fans and led to attendance increasing from an average of 30,064 per game in 2015 to 44,018 per game in 2018, which was a 95 percent increase in two seasons.
Frost’s success sparked groundwork to moving conferences. Frost’s momentum continued under Heupel and into the big 12.
With the massive success of the program, the Knights left the American Athletic and received an invite from the Big 12 in 2021.
The Knights first two seasons in the conference have been lackluster going 5-13 in conference.
Frost can do it again. He’s already done it once. Without him, the Knights don’t claim a 2017 National Title. Without him, joining the Big 12 is just a dream.
Arizona State proved that a Big 12 team can make some noise in the college football playoff, almost beating Texas (the Sun Devils should have won this game, but that’s another story).
With a conference title win, winning the conference guarantees a spot in the playoff. The Big 12 schedule only helps UCF’s case.
Where does Frost begin though? The football landscape has changed dramatically with NIL and the transfer portal since we last saw him coach the black and gold.
The Knights return just two starters on offense and two on defense.
However, Frost was in this predicament in 2016 as well with rebuilding.
This season, he fields his roster with a plethora of transfers through the portal.
He hit the portal hard and here’s a look:
Tayven Jackson, a transfer from Indiana, and Cam Fancher, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, are the two quarterbacks most likely to start. Jackson was poised and was decent in the games he played last season and Fancher brings four years of experience to the squad with over 5,000 passing yards in those years with Marshall and FAU.
Filling in for KJ Jefferson at QB is a tall task, but both show potential.
RJ Harvey was drafted by the Denver Broncos and led UCF and ran for over 1,500 yards last season.
Jaden Nixon, a transfer from Western Michigan, and returning running back Myles Montgomery are there top options. With Paul Rubelt and Keegan Smith returning in the line, their run game could be a strong suit.
At wide receiver, Florida transfer Marcus Blake, and WVU transfer Ric’Darious Farmer come into the fold from power four conferences.
DJ Black a star at Limestone College, Duane Thomas Jr. from Charlotte and four star recruit redshirt freshman Bredell Richardson are also a part of the receiving core.
All five were highly recruited, but the core lacks experience. Nevertheless, at least a few will pan out, especially with some having some power four experience.
Frost continued to hit the portal on defense too.
John Walker and Nyjalik Kelly return on the D-Line and four star transfer from Pittsburgh EDGE rusher Sincere Edwards spearheads the defense.
Only four returning starters can be concerning. Nevertheless, who expected Arizona State to win the Big 12 last year? If one thing is for sure, the Big 12 been always been an exciting football conference where a lot can happen.
Frost’s UCF seasons shook up the college football landscape before. Who knows if Cincinnati makes the college football playoff if UCF doesn’t beat Auburn in their bowl game.
Frost’s resilient group proved that his team needed a chance and the committee eventually gave Cincinnati that chance in 2021. He made fans and coaches take them and their conference seriously.
Overall, this team can build a solid foundation with Frost. They have talent, but getting to where they once were will likely not happen this season.
Nonetheless, with seven home games this season and a not overly challenging schedule, the Knights could kick things off on the right foot.
Frost coming back to a place that he’s appreciated for where he brought the program is already a step in the right direction. Let’s see how he does.
