Frost returns as UCF head coach on 5-year deal

UCF hired Scott Frost as its head football coach on Saturday, reaching agreement on a five-year contract through the 2029 season.

The move reunites the Knights with one of their most successful coaches in program history.

Frost led UCF from 2016 to 2017 and led a remarkable turnaround in his second year, guiding the Knights to a perfect 13-0 season and a No. 6 finish in the Associated Press poll. Frost earned national coach of the year honors for that achievement and went 19-7 in his two seasons before leaving to take over Nebraska, his alma mater, in 2018.

“Today marks an exciting reunion for UCF Football as we welcome back Scott Frost, a coach who ignites the spirit and passion of Knight Nation,” athletic director Terry Mohajir said in a statement. “Scott’s love for his players along with his leadership, enthusiasm and vision were pivotal in making the decision to bring him back to UCF. Throughout this national search, his passion for UCF was clear. I believe no one wanted to lead our program more than Scott.”

Frost, 49, joined the Los Angeles Rams‘ coaching staff in September and has not coached at the college level since he was fired by Nebraska during the 2022 season.

The UCF job opened on Nov. 30 when Gus Malzahn resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State under coach Mike Norvell, who had previously worked for Malzahn as a graduate assistant at Tulsa in 2007 and ’08.

Malzahn went 28-24 in four seasons in Orlando while guiding the program through its transition to Power 4 football from the AAC to the Big 12 in 2023.

The Knights have finished 6-7 and 4-8 in their first two seasons in their new conference and are seeking a spark from a head coach who turned the program into an offensive powerhouse in his two seasons in charge.

Frost’s 2017 UCF team featured the No. 1 scoring offense in FBS at 48.2 points per game and rolled to an undefeated season and an AAC title, a rapid turnaround following a 6-7 debut season. The Knights were left out of the four-team College Football Playoff but claimed a national championship after they defeated a Malzahn-led Auburn team 34-27 in the Peach Bowl to complete their 13-0 season.

Frost left at the end of the season to rebuild Nebraska. The quarterback was a two-year starter for the Huskers and led the program to a national championship in 1997, but he struggled to achieve a turnaround during his five-year tenure as head coach. The Huskers went 16-31 under his leadership and did not achieve a winning season or play in a bowl game.

Frost was dismissed three games into his final season and was paid a buyout of approximately $15 million. He was out of coaching in 2023.

Before his first head-coaching stint at UCF, Frost worked as an assistant at Oregon from 2009 to 2015 and served as their offensive coordinator in 2014 when the Ducks made a run to the CFP national title game and quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy.