While Nebraska has finally turned the page on the Scott Frost era, Auburn may be flipping back to a familiar chapter. This week, reports surfaced suggesting Tigers HC Hugh Freeze is spending more time perfecting his swing on the golf course than preparing his team. The whispers—from anonymous sources—sparked instant déjà vu for Husker fans. After all, Frost’s downfall in Lincoln came with eerily similar complaints: More time on the greens than in the film room. For Auburn, the concern now is whether history is teeing up to repeat itself.

For Scott Frost, the jokes were all about video golf. And for Freeze, it’s allegedly the real thing. But while Freeze faces scrutiny, Frost is flipping the script back at UCF. The prodigal coach has returned to where his rise began—and he’s wasting no time. After locking in Arkansas standout Kane Archer, Frost and his QBs coach McKenzie Milton just added another gem: elite Pennsylvania passer Dante Carr. So, the Knights’ QB room is heating up fast and Frost is driving the rebuild with purpose.

Well, Scott Frost may be back at UCF, but the questions haven’t disappeared—they’ve only grown louder. On the July 6 episode of Heartland College Sports, analyst Pete Mundo didn’t hold back, and said, “With Scott Frost, there’s so many unknowns here because he has not been coaching college football. And last time we saw him out there coaching on the sidelines, it was a debacle at Nebraska. I mean, the amount of one-score losses for Scott Frost in Nebraska—at some point, it’s like this is not just bad luck. It’s like he didn’t know how to coach at the top levels in close games. It was not just luck by the end of that tenure at Nebraska.” So now, as Frost takes the reins again in Orlando, he’ll need more than nostalgia to quiet the doubt.

Scott Frost may be back in familiar territory, but the terrain has changed. UCF is no longer a Group of Five darling—it’s a Big 12 battleground. And that raises real questions. As Pete Mundo put it best, stating, “So for Scott Frost, it’s like, okay, he’s been around the game obviously, but he hasn’t been in that head coaching position in the last couple of seasons. What does that look like, taking over a program he had tremendous success with, but is also playing at a whole different level than where it was when he left?” In short: The pressure’s on, and the honeymoon phase is over before it starts.

Scott Frost’s Rams stint may have been short, but it left a lasting mark and not all of it flattering. During the 2024 offseason, Frost joined Sean McVay’s staff in Los Angeles as a senior analyst, bouncing between departments, including special teams. While it offered a soft reset, it also raised eyebrows. In Sports Illustrated, Frost admitted, “It kind of reignited my passion… I wasn’t even 100% sure I wanted to [coach] again.” Though he rediscovered his love for the grind, critics wonder if the NFL escape was just a detour from the real pressure of college football. Now back at UCF, that shadow follows him.

Look, Scott Frost’s return may feel like a homecoming, but the challenge ahead is brand new. The Big 12 is a different beast, and Frost has yet to prove he can tame it. As Pete Mundo summed it up, “It remains to be seen if Scott Frost can win at a P4 level, because UCF was not doing that when he was winning big there a few years back. So that is just a great place to also start the conversation in Texas this week.” So, the stage is bigger. And the pressure? Even more so.

Scott Frost is back where it all began. After a brutal fall from grace at Nebraska, the former UCF hero has returned to Orlando—reviving his coaching career at the very place he once turned into college football’s biggest Cinderella story. Frost admitted to Sports Illustrated, “I had no interest in coming back to college. I was going to stay in the NFL.” But when the Knights job opened after Gus Malzahn left for FSU, everything changed. “This is probably the only college job I would have taken… we were happy here.” Now, the man who once delivered UCF an undefeated season steps back in, not just to coach—but to rebuild a legacy. So, while Frost dives into his UCF rebuild with plenty of skeptics watching, this time he doesn’t need a miracle—just steady hands and proof that he still has what it takes.

Scott Frost’s next chapter

Scott Frost is back, but everything has changed. He parks in the same spot, walks into the same building, and even sits at the same desk. But the man behind it isn’t the same. UCF isn’t either. Once a Group of Five Cinderella, the Knights now play in a Power 4 league with a real path to the CFP. The trophies still shine. The drawings from his kids still hang. But just outside, construction buzzes—proof that this isn’t 2017 anymore. It’s a new era. And Frost knows it.

In his return to UCF, Scott Frost isn’t just coaching — he’s reflecting. Gone is the young coach who once thought he had it all figured out. Now, he’s grounded, battle-tested, and brutally honest about the highs and lows. “I know I’m a wiser person and smarter football coach,” Frost told ESPN. “When you’re young, you think you have it all figured out. I don’t think you really get better as a person unless you go through really good things, and really bad things. I just know I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

Back on the UCF practice field, Scott Frost looks right at home—grounded, focused, and in his element. Football has shaped his entire life, from learning Xs and Os as a kid from his coaching parents to thriving as a college and NFL player. Now, as coach again, he brings that same fire. Quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton sees it too. “I see the same version of him from when I was here as a player,” Milton said. “Even though the dynamic in college football has changed… Coach Frost is one of the few who can still bring guys together and build a true team.” Now, let’s see what this squad can bring to the program this season.