Who’s going to be the UCF Knights’ QB1 in 2025?

While major reports indicate Tayven Jackson—the 21-year-old ex-Hoosiers talent who transferred to UCF in January this year—looks like Scott Frost is not ready to reveal that secret just yet. In fact, he wants the room to actually work for it.

With a crowded QB room featuring the likes of Jackson, Jacurri Brown, Cam Fancher, Davi Belfort, and Brock Hansel, it’s clear that the HC’s roster map certainly isn’t taking the straight route, which he revealed as per a media address video snippet on YouTube. “We had to rebuild the whole team. We went and got a couple of other quarterbacks, too. A couple of them have already been here. There was good competition in the spring,” he began.

“I saw good progress in the spring. Several guys are doing a really good job. I think that position, we need a real competitor at that position, somebody that’s gonna do everything he can to win every game, make every play work,” he strongly added. The idea is straight and clear: The head coach doesn’t want any lack of motivation or effort from any of the names.

“We are gonna have enough talent around the quarterback and I think if we get good quarterback play, we are gonna be in good shape,” Frost added. “So, we let the competition play out and see where it lands.” Now to familiarize you a bit with the quarterbacks…

First comes Jackson, who was the No. 13 QB in the 2022 class. Under coach Curt Cignetti last year, he racked up a total of 349 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 interception with a 62.2 completion percentage. Sure, so far, he’s just accustomed to being a backup. But he has all the tools to shine bright as a future Knights’ QB1.

On the other hand, Davi Belfort, a class of 2024 four-star quarterback, also showcased a splash of brilliance at Virginia Tech last year. But a chance to fulfill his childhood dream by playing for the Knights was not something he wanted to refuse. “I‘m very excited. I’ve wanted to come home, so I’m glad it happened.” And then there’s former Marshall Thundering Herd and Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback, Cam Fancher, who also transferred to UCF in December last year, adding flair to Scott Frost’s QB room, while Hansel joining the roster in the 2022 season, and yet to debut for the team. The returning UCF signal-caller Jacurri Brown is also another option that the head coach can look toward. That certainly reeks of hope, but…

…if you ask analysts, they aren’t too keen on believing the same as the team is expected to be near the bottom of the Big 12 preseason media poll. Frost’s reaction? Well, he’s ready to prove detractors wrong.

Scott Frost is banking on his underdog program

When Scott Frost left the Knights after the 2017 season to take up a head coaching position at his alma mater, Nebraska, little did he know that the two would cross paths again—both with a point to prove. After nearly five seasons at the helm, the head coach was fired, before he went to the Los Angeles Rams to take up a role as a senior analyst, before returning to UCF again.

Heading into the 2025 season, the Knights are seeing a lot of change, mostly on a belief that they’re not going to make it work. Yet Frost ambitiously said, “I love where we are, you know, people aren’t going to pick us to do very well this year, that’s great,” Frost said. “UCF’s always kind of performed with a chip on their shoulder and won a lot of games that people didn’t expect them to historically. I think that needs to continue to be a part of our nature in who we are. I think the kids are excited about the launching point that they have to try to accomplish more than what people think.”

Do you think they’ll be able to do it?