So UCF fans want to question Scott Frost
?UCF should only have 1 loss this season. The program that was winless last year should only have one loss. The Knights are only 3 painful games away from being in the conversation for a Access Bowl birth. By every single metric both advanced and regular, UCF is an improved team. National writers have declared the hiring of Scott Frost to be a success. That he has rebuilt UCF and that this team is on the rise. So why are UCF complaining? Why does it seem like that 85% of the UCF fanbase does not grasp that this was a rebuilding year? I have a little secret to tell you UCF fans get in close so you can fully grasp it: you aren't UF or FSU. Sorry to break it to you. Frost has arguably exceed everyone's expectations yet the UCF fanbase still cries and bitches. And it has me scratching my head.
The common argument that has come up is that George O'Leary did not leave the cupboard bare when he left. That is the number 1 fallacy amongst the UCF fan base. After all this is the same class that has had more transfers than has produced players that have played at UCF. Do you know who has had the most impact on UCF from that class? Pat Janinski and maybe Tyler Hudanick. The rest of the class is a list of whose and players that have not cracked significant playing time. Consider this the crown jewel of the class was wide receiver Tristan Payton, a player that has more suspensions than significant plays in his time at UCF. Consider this: George O'Leary called the 2015 class the most talented class that he's ever had at UCF. That 2015 class was ranked 65th in the nation. Well I guess that is better than the 74th ranked 2014 class. So what exactly did Frost have to work with? There are no Bortles, Perriman's or Hall's in these two classes. Some fans will cry about sanctions and limited scholarships(Hi Knight_Light). Yet UCF was coming off its greatest victory in 2013 and failed to capitalize on that.
Frost's first class has already proven to be more significant and talented than the 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes. Both in ranking and performance. One could argue that Adrian Killins alone has outperformed the last 2 O'Leary classes. So when people say that the cupboard was not bare, you have to question it. This was not a situation like the 2010 and 2011 classes where UCF had a bunch if unheard of but ultra talented players on the roster. Contrast that with Frost's only recruiting class. That class is the building block, the cornerstone which UCF can build upon. That is why Frost has been so interested in playing his players. Because he knows how much of a upgrade they are over the previous classes. And that is perfect. If a coach believes a Freshman is better than a senior, hell yes the freshman should play. It's about building a program, not playing players just because they are a upperclassman. That is something Frost has been willing to do that O'Leary was too scared to do.
Then there is the George never lost a game in the second half argument. I'm sorry did you forget 2011? You know the season that was supposed to be a coronation following the 2010 season? Well instead there were heartbreaking defeats. The close losses to FIU, Southern Miss, etc. Well what about 2012 where George O'Leary failed to beat Tulsa twice, despite holding significant leads in both games. Then there are the two winless seasons on his resume where UCF need not have even bothered to show up to any of the games. What I am trying to say here is that before UCF fans start trying to hold up George as some infallible coach and blast Frost for inexperience decisions just know that O'Leary made the same mistakes. Maybe even worse. Does Frost need to be less conservative in the second half of games? Sure, but it's his coaching that has improved the Knights by leaps and bounds.
This brings me to this point: on Twitter I saw a poll by a fellow Knight fan. The poll read "would you rather get smoked or lose in heartbreaking fashion?" Do you know what won out? Getting smoked. I have never been more disappointed with a fanbase. Do you not remember how embarrassing 2015 was? Not only was UCF considered the worst team in division 1 last year, but according to both FEI and S&P was the worst team in division 2 as well. How can you want to suffer through that? I mean Frost has taken this team to having the 27th best defense in the nation, something George's teams never did. Yes the offense needs to improve, but when your 4 best players on offense are freshmen the team is going to experience growing pains. Frost has had to rebuild a program with arguably the worst player in UCF history(hi Justin Holman) still attached to the program. Yet UCF is 63rd in FEI and S&P and projected by ESPN to win 6-7 games this year. Do you know how many games they were projected to win this year? 3-4. A bowl game was out of the realm of possibility. Yet Frost and his staff have exceeded every damn expectation. That is the reality.
