By Mark Pszonak
Since Gus Malzahn quickly packed his bags and made his way to Florida State over the weekend, there have been plenty of rumors concerning the next head coach at UCF. One name that has been tossed around is Scott Frost, but nobody knew how serious it was. This morning a source confirmed that it is more serious than many assumed.
Scott Frost’s coaching time in Orlando was short but sweet for Knights’ fans. And that is the reason his name has been a hot topic this week. His undefeated 2017 season will live on forever at UCF, and the fans want to experience that feeling again. Some believe that his return would give the program a chance to return to that success.
But how serious is this possibility? A UCF source discussed the topic this morning.
“I know for fact the AD has reached out and had conversations with him. And he’ll come cheap, which UCF needs.”
Frost hasn’t coached since being fired at Nebraska during the 2022 season, a tenure that went far less successfully for him.
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The source had some additional insight into the status of the UCF coaching search.
“The fact that we’ve dragged this out past National Signing Day also points to the possibility that the candidate is coaching this weekend or involved in the playoff.”
He then mentioned two additional names to keep an eye on.
“Like many others, I think UCF would love to take a run at (Jon) Sumrall. UCF AD has Kansas ties too. (Andy) Kotelnicki possible”
Jon Sumrall is one of the hottest names in coaching after leading Troy to a 23-4 record in two seasons and continuing his success at Tulane in 2024. Andy Kotelnicki is another hot name, as the ex-Kansas offensive coordinator is now the offensive coordinator at Penn State but has already been interviewed for the open West Virginia job.
The problem with hot coaching names is that they won’t come cheap, which could prove to be an issue for UCF if the source is correct. So that brings everything back to Frost, who isn’t in a position to ask for extravagant money.
Is rehiring a coach with a 35-38 career record the right move for the Knights? More importantly, his record was 16-31 after leaving UCF. This would be a coaching hire based on nostalgia, which hardly ever proves to be the right decision.
Whatever the Knights choose to do in the next week, it will likely be one of the more interesting hires off the cycle.
