Scott Frost walked into his first season back at UCF with the clock already ticking. By the time he was hired in December of 2024, the portal was open, roster decisions were flying and he was trying to assemble a staff while everyone around him was already moving.
That scramble is a big reason Frost says this offseason felt different.
“Yeah, I'm jealous of guys like [new Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Eric Morris] that got to take their job this year,” Frost said last week at Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas. “Last year was tough because right when coaches were getting hired, the portal was open.
So when I showed up on campus, the portal was wide open. Our own players that I didn't even know yet were, you know, trying to decide what to do.
I didn't have a staff, so people were going on visits and getting signed and the deals were being made.”
UCF finished 5-7 last season, but Frost said the program spent much of that year playing catch-up. This time, he believes the Knights were able to get ahead of the curve.
The difference started with time. Frost had room to build, instead of racing to patch things together. That helped UCF put together a strong recruiting class, highlighted by freshman quarterback Rocco Marriott, who flipped from James Madison, and Alonzo Barnett III, the transfer from James Madison who was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season.
“And I didn't even have a recruiting department really,” Frost said. “We were way more prepared this year.
We were able to keep and retain the the right guys and bring in some other really good ones around them. And uh I don't know where it'll lead from a exit or from a wins and losses standpoint, but I'm certainly a lot more confident in this team than I was a year ago.”
For Frost, the feeling is less like landing in the middle of a storm and more like finally settling in. He says the program is in a better place now, and that should make this season look a lot smoother than the last one did.
In Other News...
Former UCF Guard Jaylin Sellers Is Forcing A Bulls Decision
Jaylin Sellers has spent Las Vegas Summer League doing what former UCF guards have to do to stay in the conversation: make every possession count. In three appearances with the Chicago Bulls, the two-way guard has shown the kind of speed, defensive edge and efficient scoring that can catch a coaching staffs attention, and his best stretch came in a 24-point outing against the Washington Wizards.
For a player trying to carve out a place on the edge of an NBA roster, the appeal is obvious. Sellers is giving Chicago a reason to think beyond Summer League box scores, building a case for a back-end rotation role with the kind of all-around impact that can matter when the regular season begins and the Bulls have to sort out their guard depth. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Gets An Early Look At Two Very Different 2026 Battles
As UCF keeps counting down toward the 2026 season opener, a couple of roster spots are worth a closer look because they tell very different stories about where the Knights are headed. One is in the kicking game, where Australian punter Atticus Bertrams arrives with Wisconsin experience and looks positioned to handle the job, giving UCF a veteran option at a spot that can quietly shape field position all season.
The other is on defense, where walk-on Donnell Johnson III represents the long shot side of roster building. Johnson came to UCF after starting at Clarke University, but he did not get on the field after joining the Knights in fall camp, and his path now appears to be about earning whatever limited chances come his way in 2026. For a program trying to sort out depth while also settling on dependable specialists, those two names offer an early snapshot of just how different the next chapter can look. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Fans Will Want To Settle This All-Time Pass Rush Debate
UCFs pass-rush history has enough names to make any fan start arguing over eras, and the latest reminder comes from a look back at the Daytona News-Journals All-FBS team over the past 30 years. Nine defensive ends from the Knights have earned a spot on that list, a group that stretches across different coaching staffs, different defensive systems and even a few players who arrived at UCF after starting elsewhere or shifted positions along the way.
Bruce Miller, Malachi Lawrence, TreMon Morris-Brash and Nyjalik Kelly are among the names that keep showing up whenever the programs edge rushers are discussed, and the production behind them is part of the reason. The list also brings back the old sack totals that still frame the debate, along with the NFL paths that followed for several of those players, which is exactly what makes this kind of ranking so easy for UCF fans to revisit and so hard to settle for good. [Read more 🡒]