ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – UCF re-introduced Scott Frost as its coach Sunday night, bringing back the man who led the team to an undefeated season in 2017 and set the program on its path to joining the Big 12.
“I’m happy to back,” Frost said after being introduced by Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir. in front of a crowded room.
UCF first hired Frost in 2015 following a winless season, the last time the Knights missed a bowl game before this season. By his second season in 2017, the Knights had taken on an identity as one of the best offensive teams in the nation and took the college football world by storm.
UCF was undefeated in the 2017 season, beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl, the program’s second New Years Six bowl game. UCF used that win to claim a national championship, one confirmed by the Colley Matrix, one of the NCAA’s selectors for a national championship in football.
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News 6 Sports Director Jamie Seh asked Frost how it felt to be back.
“It feels surreal,” Frost said. “It feels like it was 100 years ago and yesterday at the same time, you know, pulling back on campus, and I parked in the spot I parked in for two years.”
Frost went on to speak about his previous stint in Orlando and the pressures that came with winning.
“Life’s funny. My time in Orlando is one of my favorite times of my life,” Frost said. “It was a short period two years with some really good people and some relationships and some experiences that I’ll never forget. It was hard for me to leave, it was emotional for me to leave, and there was a lot of pressure for me to go and do something else.”
Frost, the 10th head coach in program history, led the Knights to a 19-7 record in his two seasons with UCF. He was originally hired on Dec. 1, 2015, and took UCF to a 12-0 season and American Athletic Conference Championship in his second season.
UCF officials said Frost and the university agreed on a five-year contract through the 2029 season.
Frost left UCF to coach at Nebraska, his alma mater, where he coached the Huskers from 2018 to 2022, coaching the first three games of the 2022 season before being fired.
Former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn announced his resignation in late November to become the offensive coordinator at struggling Florida State University, according to ESPN.
The Knights finished this season 4-8 while missing a bowl appearance, finishing with a second straight losing season under Malzahn.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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