The wait for UCF’s football season to begin is nearly finally over. Knights head coach Scott Frost spoke to members of the media on Monday to give his final thoughts on his team’s matchup with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Thursday night in Orlando on ESPN+.
Here’s everything Frost had to say from the presser ahead of final preparations for the game.
MORE: OFFICIAL: Scott Frost Names Cam Fancher As UCF’s Starting Quarterback For Week 1
Opening Statement:
“We’re just excited that the game’s here. I think everybody at this time of year is just ready to actually play an opponent and test yourself. Really pleased with the work that the kids have put in over the winter, spring, summer, fall camp. Now we got to dial it in and be ready to play.”
Do you have a starting quarterback? And if so, what made him win the job?
“Yeah, we’re going to start Cam Fancher. All three kids, you know, I don’t want to say much more than that. All three kids did unbelievable job. Cam’s going to run out there and it’s his job to begin the game, begin the season, and we’ll go from there.”
Will there be an opportunity for other quarterbacks to get in and play on Thursday?
“You know, I trust all three, so I want good things to happen for all three of them. And if the situation arises, we’ll get some other guys in. We might even have a plan for that, but right now it’s Cam’s job.”
How game ready do you feel this team is at this point?
“Yeah, you get to a point where you practice so much that you know, you need to see what they can do in a game. And you know, there’s a a saying that’s true. You don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training. And I feel like we’ve trained well. But everything changes once you’re out there on the field. And I just want our guys to be ready to attack, play with no fear of failure, and just play hard. You can see around the country there’s a lot of mistakes happening, first game mistakes, and just a few games that have already happened. We’re going to try to limit those, but understand those are going to happen. And effort usually makes up for a lot of that. So, I just want to see our guys come out and play as hard as they can.”
What did Cam show you in spring and then carry over into fall camp that helped you make your decision?
“Again, I don’t want to talk about one guy too much. Cam’s done a really good job with just command of the offense, control of everything, doing a good job turning broken plays into positive plays. But all three guys have done well. So, it’s Cam’s job right now.”
With Cam being made the starter, did that influence in any way which wide receivers you’re looking to get out there? Who could we expect to see out there?
“No, who it is won’t change a lot. Every position had battles and the receiver group really had to grow. Again, not because we don’t have talent there, just because we don’t have a lot of game experience and production there. I’ve seen a a tremendous amount of growth from those guys and and I feel like we’re deep there. We can play quite a few guys. So, I think you’ll see a lot of different guys out there Thursday and they’re all all going to get their chance to make an impact on the game.”
Does [Fancher starting at quarterback] change the alignment of the offensive line at all?
“No. You know, we don’t want to move Paul [Rubelt] just for something like that. I do feel like we got guys including Paul that can play multiple spots and if the need arises he could be on the left or right. But you know, all those position battles were independent of one another and it would be a crime for me to play somebody in a different spot or a different person because of the outcome of a different position race. So, there’ll be several spots where multiple people get to play and we’re going to have a rotation. But I think we’re settled in pretty well and we’ll probably release the depth chart here in the next couple days.”
You mentioned many times throughout camp…that the team would also gravitate towards the [starting quarterback]. Did you start to see that towards the end of fall camp?
“You know, really it was neck and neck right until the very end. And we got to a point we had to make a decision. I think in the probably last four or five days before we decided, I think Cam probably played the best in those, but that’s not taking away from anybody else. I got a ton of confidence in several other guys.”
Will you be calling plays on Thursday? And if so, how excited are you to kind of get back into doing that?
“Yeah, I’m excited just for the game in general. Steve Cooper’s done an unbelievable job, when I’m doing head coaching things, running the offense. I’ve been around him a lot and he thinks very similar to the way I think and it’ll be a collaboration between the two of us.”
How impactful has [wide receivers] Coach Beckton been in his role?
“Well, I love Sean Beckton. He’s like the OG around here. He’s Mr. UCF. He does a great job, not just with his position group, but keeping the entire team on track and thinking the right way. He’s a great asset to us. He’s had his work cut out for him again just because of lack of experience in that room and game experience, but you know, the guys know what they’re doing. They’re in good shape and they’re going to get their opportunity to go make plays.”
How emotional do you think you’ll be when you run out on the field Thursday?
“You know, I figured somebody would ask me that. I think I’m going to be so mission focused running out there that I won’t even stop to look around and reminisce or anything like that. At some point I probably will and it’ll be great to be back there. But, you know, it’s time to go to work and it’s time for business when we run out on the field and I’ll probably be more in tune with who won the coin toss, who’s on offense, who’s on defense, and our first few plays of offense when we get it.”
Do you have any Lee Corso stories?
“No, none that I can share anyway. But coach has always just been great. There’s a fine line when you’re in the media to being an entertainer and being loyal to who you are as a football coach. I always appreciate about him that he was he was good to everybody in our profession because he’s been in that profession. So it was less about criticism and and more about, you know, honest analysis and and praise for coaches and he did it the right way.”
Knowing that there’s still a lot unknown about this team in a game situation, what do you feel confident about heading into Thursday’s game?
“I feel confident about a lot. The preparation’s been really good. Feel confident about our athletic ability and just how we come together as a team. You know, you’re not going to go through any game and not have ups and downs. And so I really want our team to just stay mission focused and keep attacking and trying to make great plays. Whether good things happen or bad things happen, we got to keep the foot on the pedal and keep pushing forward. And I feel good about where we are, but you know, we’ll get tested both ways with good things and bad things.”
What’s the breakdown on Jacksonville State?
“You know, there’s a lot of unknown going into this game. Probably both ways. You know, I got a lot of respect for coach Kelly and everywhere he’s been. their coordinators have been in really good spots. Really think that coach Tricket does a really good job with their o-line going back. And we’re not 100% sure what they’re going to be lined up in and what they’re going to be doing. They’re probably not 100% sure about what we’re doing. Shoot, we’ve watched, on offense Maryland tape and Auburn tape and other, and Jacksonville State tape, and I’m sure they’ve watched Nebraska and Oregon and UCF and Boise and the Rams. I don’t know. So you go into a game like this and it’s a little harder to scheme somebody else up. Kind of becomes just more line up and and do what you do and play ball.”
When you look at this camp, what are you the most proud with this group?
“I suppose their willingness to do what we asked them to do. There’s been a big difference even going into this game week. We expect the kids not to come out three days and four days before a game and just walk through plays. We’re practicing hard and took them a couple series to understand what we wanted. But every time we’ve had a situation like that where we expect them to do something different than what they’re used to, they’ve been really open to giving everything they have to give us what we want and that means we’ve been able to move in the right direction the whole time. And I appreciate the guys’ willingness to buy in.”
What players maybe stepped up in leadership positions on this team and have you made a decision or a vote regarding team captains?
“Well, the guys in the back have done a great job. Miles and Nyjalik have both been great. Miles is pretty much the clear leader of our offense right now. He’s like having another coach on the field. He’s demanding of the guys. He expects the standard all the time. It’s been great to see. Nyjalik and Keli Lawson and some other guys on offense. Malachi [Lawrence] has done a good job with that on defense, too. The leadership is growing, but you know, we definitely got some guys that are cut out for it and natural leaders.”
How have you seen that brotherhood build throughout camp and preparation now for game one?
“I don’t think you can really come together until you have some shared experiences, good and bad. And there’s been a couple hiccups that we’ve had, you know, fights on the field, little things like that, some things that challenged our togetherness. And sometimes you have to go through those things. They end up being a positive because guys find a way to come together more after that. You can’t manufacture those. Those just have to happen. And those will continue to happen this year as we ride the highs and lows of the season. So I feel good about where we are from a unity standpoint, but we have a ways to go.”
You’ve talked about success being defined by progress and a reliance on the rise and conquer mantra. How do you feel the team is continuing to buy into that?
“We’re a lot better than we were at the beginning of camp and we started camp a lot better than we were in spring. But we got to keep getting better throughout the season and that’s on the field and off. So, we’ll keep putting the guys through what we think that we need to put them through to continue to improve and as good as we are in game one, hopefully it’s a lot better game six.”
Jax State is starting Gavin Wimsatt at quarterback. Given the fact that he played at Rutgers did you know him as a recruit during your time at Nebraska?
“Yeah, I remember watching him as a recruit and we were interested in him out of Jersey. You know, big athletic kid, can really spin the ball. Played quite a bit at Rutgers, played a little bit at Kentucky. He’s a specimen to watch him run and throw the ball. He’s got all the tools. So we’re going to have to be on our game. I know he can run it and he can throw it. So the defense has to be sure to be in the right places in the right gaps with the right eyes and him and others will challenge us.”
On avoiding negative opinions about the team:
“Yeah, I think the days of not reading newspaper articles are over. The kids don’t walk ten feet without looking at their phone anymore. So, there’s no hiding it anymore. It’s better to just address the elephant in the room head on. One thing I appreciate about UCF and always have is there’s a little bit of a chip on your shoulder attitude here and there was when I was here the last time. So I think the kids are embracing the fact that nationally there’s not a lot expected of the group and I think that’s been a motivation for them. So, they’re going to get their chance to take the first step to prove people wrong on Thursday.”
Earlier, you said you may not have time to reminisce, but just how excited are you to be coaching football again?
“Yeah, I love that part of it. You know, the best parts about coaching are impacting young lives and competing. And you get to do both those things in a big way at practice, but especially at games. And we got a pretty special group of guys, you know, and I told them the other day when I was here last time, there was a group of guys that came together so well that it was life-changing almost for them and what they got to experience together. And I want that for this group, too. I want them to have those kind of trials and that kind of success. And you you take those kind of experiences with you for the rest of your life. So, we’re working to build that here again.”
What do you most want to see from Cam Fancher in the season opener?
“Well, the first thing you want your quarterback to do is take care of the ball. Jacksonville State has had a lot of success lately and a lot of it is turnovers. They’ve done a really good job with turnovers. You you watch their tape. They have a lot of returners from the last couple years and they’ve done a really good job being aggressive and creating turnovers. So offensively, you know, it’s never going to be perfect in game one. We just have to play hard and take care of the ball.”
In a pay-for-play world, do you think there’s pressure on coaches to play the guys that they pay the most?
“Absolutely. And that’s one thing I appreciate about UCF is I don’t have a lot of people in my ear and on my back saying, ‘I gave you the money for this guy. Why isn’t he playing?’ That allows me to be honest as a coach and honest with the players and play the guys that deserve to play. That’s rare and I really enjoy that about this place. We got good support, but it’s not invasive support. Then we can be critical thinkers and look at performances and do what’s right by the kids by putting the guys on the field that have earned it and deserve it.”
Does it feel like game week? What’s the feeling right now when you walk in the locker room?
“You know, I feel a confidence and I feel eagerness to get out there from the guys. A couple times this week, you know, you roll right from fall camp right into practice for a game and you can fall into the habit of just feeling like you’re in another fall camp practice. It hasn’t happened a lot, but there’s been a couple times at practice I felt that way. There’s got to be just more urgency when you’re getting ready for a game. Like this play has to be executed perfect so we can get it out on the field and trust it. You know, in fall camp, if you run a bad play once, you just go to the meeting room and fix it the next six days. But there’s more urgency, and I don’t know if I felt enough of that from the team, but what I do feel is an eagerness to get out there and a confidence in where they are and where they’re going.”
Health-wise, how is the team going into this game?
“A lot of credit to our training staff and our strength and conditioning staff. You know, I look at an injury report every week and we don’t have a lot of guys on there. So, we’re going to be pretty close to full strength, minus a couple guys. I don’t think Caden Piening is going to be ready and obviously Swint’s out for a while. But, other than that, I think it’s all hands on deck. And, I think those guys have done a really good job keeping the guys healthy and and training them the right way so that they’re building up to peak at the right time.”
Thoughts on K-State and Iowa State over the weekend? Your first thoughts of the Big 12?
“Yeah, I was impressed with both teams. Obviously the conditions kind of affected the game in the first half. But really impressed with both defenses and how hard they played and how well they tackled. They both found a way to make some big plays later in the game, but it was just a good Big 12 game and probably very representative of the games in this league that if you play well, you can win and if you don’t, you can lose. Every team in this league can beat you. So, our guys got to be ready to go out and and perform their best every week.”
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