{"id":50218,"date":"2017-11-02T06:35:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T06:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=50218"},"modified":"2017-11-02T06:38:40","modified_gmt":"2017-11-02T06:38:40","slug":"ucf-unbeaten-coach-scott-frost-demand-can-knights-keep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/ucf-unbeaten-coach-scott-frost-demand-can-knights-keep.html","title":{"rendered":"UCF is unbeaten, and coach Scott Frost is in demand; can the Knights keep him?"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCF is unbeaten, and coach Scott Frost is in demand; can the Knights keep him?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

UCF is unbeaten, and coach Scott Frost is in demand; can the Knights keep him?:- In his first days as the new athletics director at the University of Central Florida two years ago this month, Danny White embarked on a coaching search that focused on one particular type of candidate: coaches with backgrounds in an up-tempo, spread-based style of play.<\/span><\/p>\n

His vision for the Knights\u2019 football program was influenced in no small part by TCU, which had nudged aside in-state powers in Texas and Texas A&M and earned a spot among the elite programs in the Big 12 Conference by being different, particularly with its offensive approach. TCU, like UCF, was an upstart in a state rich in talent and bluebloods. It was an interesting case study to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they would\u2019ve tried to do that running the same stuff Texas and Texas A&M were doing, I don\u2019t know if that would\u2019ve been nearly as effective,\u201d White told USA TODAY Sports. \u201cI think a big part of their (TCU) national trajectory is they got really good in football consistently, and the way that they did that was in a talent-rich state playing a little differently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

White\u2019s search led him to Scott Frost, then an assistant coach at Oregon well-schooled in Chip Kelly\u2019s spread scheme, and results quickly followed. After reaching bowl eligibility in his debut, Frost and the Knights enter Saturday\u2019s matchup with SMU at 7-0, the only unbeaten team left among the Group of Five conferences, and ranked No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff standings, again atop the Group of Five.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the success has come at a cost. In short order \u2014 quicker than even the most optimistic expectations \u2014 UCF is faced with the possibility of losing its second-year head coach to a Power Five program: Nebraska was the first name to pop on the radar, because of Frost\u2019s background, but Florida has since become a second realistic contender following Jim McElwain\u2019s dismissal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those two schools have their draws. Nebraska is home. Florida has the talent base and recruiting draw. There may be another choice, Tennessee, should the Volunteers decide to end the Butch Jones era. Frost will have no shortage of options.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to be in a hurry to leave a good situation,\u201d Frost said to USA TODAY Sports. \u201cOne reason I took this job is that this place has a chance to I think maintain a level of competitiveness and excellence because of the advantages we have here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

UCF, meanwhile, is doing what it can to keep the coaching staff intact. In the background of the greatest start in program history, White and the university are taking steps to maintain the status quo, hoping that increased salaries and new facilities will join Frost\u2019s own track record of carefully weighing his future in keeping the second-year coach at least through the 2018 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dating to Marcus Mariota\u2019s final season at Oregon, when the Ducks reached the national championship game, Frost has been at or near the top of the most-wanted list for several job openings on the Group of Five level. That he waited for this current position speaks to some degree of foresight: UCF wasn\u2019t only smack in the middle of some of the nation\u2019s most fertile recruiting space but also coming off a winless season, handing Frost floor-level expectations heading into his debut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just a level-headed guy. I don\u2019t think he needs that big-school brand to feel like he\u2019s doing important work and impacting the lives of young people,\u201d White said of Frost. \u201cAnd ultimately, long term, he can win at the very highest level and eventually win a national championship. You can do that right here. You\u2019ve got the best recruiting base in America right in our backyard and a situation that\u2019s growing really fast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The first step \u2014 and \u201cthe most pressing issue,\u201d per White \u2014 is to increase the salary pool afforded Frost\u2019s coaching staff, bringing that total in line with the Power Five level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have every expectation that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d White said.<\/span><\/p>\n

That increase has been on Frost\u2019s own list of priorities since he arrived; meeting that wish would be positive in UCF\u2019s favor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simultaneously, the university has embarked on a series of upgrades to its athletic facilities. There are plans to remake the existing space behind the south end of Spectrum Stadium into a nutrition center for all student-athletes. There have been improvements to the existing field house across from the football offices. The largest project, a headquarters for the entire athletic department, will include new team meeting rooms, locker rooms and recruiting area. The goal is to convince Frost that UCF is a destination, not a stopping point.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he can be the Bobby Bowden of this place, or the Steve Spurrier of this place,\u201d White said. \u201cWe can every bit as good as Florida or Florida State, we\u2019re just younger. The state is plenty big enough to have more than two or three major, national brands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But UCF is realistic: Frost isn\u2019t staying here forever. At some point, whether it\u2019s Nebraska, Florida or another, he\u2019ll trade in the Group of Five for the Power Five, continuing a fast-moving coaching career that seems unavoidably destined for a high-profile promotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just keeping Frost through 2018 could be a game changer for UCF, however. It would mean another season in this offensive system, with a more experienced cast of personnel and continuity among the coaching staff. If this season stays on the same path \u2014 UCF is headed for a New Year\u2019s Six bowl \u2014 next year\u2019s team will begin with the benefit of the doubt in the polls. Many non-major programs have burst onto the scene once; doing so twice, and in successive years, could dramatically alter the Knights\u2019 trajectory.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re confident that we\u2019re going to build a heck of a football program, a nationally elite football program,\u201d White said. \u201cI think he realizes the potential to do that. I know he does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaaf\/aac\/2017\/11\/01\/coach-scott-frost-can-ucf-knights-keep-him\/820730001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t