UCF Knights football: Players responding to Scott Frost coaching
UCF football coach Scott Frost spoke to reporters for the first time since March 11 after Saturday’s spring practice session.
- UCF saw five players enter the portal during spring camp and added two new players.
- Two UCF players, Justin Royes and DayDay Farmer, will miss the upcoming season due to injuries requiring surgery.
ORLANDO — UCF wrapped up its 15-practice spring camp Saturday afternoon, and while the work is done on the football field for nearly four months, business could very well pick up off of it.
The NCAA transfer portal reopened Wednesday, a 10-day period in which football players around the country can choose to find a new home — for any number of reasons, including the pursuit of higher Name, Image and Likeness compensation.
Such was the case at Tennessee where starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava departed the program earlier this month over a highly publicized dispute. Iamaleava is expected to join UCLA, though the deal has not been finalized as of Saturday night.
While declining to address Tennessee’s situation directly, Knights coach Scott Frost expressed concern for the behind-the scenes dealings across the sport.
“I don’t think anybody is really happy with the situation now, except maybe the institutions that have unlimited money to spend and want to keep that advantage,” Frost said. “If people really knew what went on, it’s a mess.
“It’s constant negotiation, and it’s a bidding war for every single player, whether they’re in the portal or not. That’s the reality, whether people want to admit it or not. It’s a sad state if a sport as beautiful as college football is won by the people with the richest boosters. That’s kind of where we are right now.”
Upon his hiring Dec. 8, Frost began meeting with the team, laying out his vision in attempt to retain its top talent. Additionally, he and a skeleton crew — headed up by defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin and wide receivers coach Sean Beckton — set about patching nearly two-dozen holes in the portal.
Frost described the initial experience as a “nightmare.” But he’s optimistic this upcoming window, which runs through April 25, will not feature the same level of upheaval.
“I think the No. 1 thing we can do to try and make sure we retain our talent here is having an environment they enjoy coming to, people that they know actually care about them,” Frost said. “We’ve got some really good men on this coaching staff that genuinely care about the guys and want what’s best for them. And there’s a ton of opportunity here.
“When we have a place that kids enjoy coming, you don’t have as many that want to leave. I’m sure there will still be some movement but, for the most part, I think the guys are pretty happy here.”
Five UCF players chose to enter the portal during spring camp — quarterback Dylan Rizk, center Waltclaire Flynn Jr., cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans, defensive tackle Marcus Downs and linebacker DJ McCormick. Downs practiced in full through Saturday, while the other four left the team.
UCF made two additions as well, landing the commitments of Tennessee State right tackle Connor Meadows and Michigan edge rusher Aymeric Koumba. Frost didn’t target any specific areas of need, saying his staff will employ a “best available” approach, but it’s safe to assume UCF will seek another quarterback — with just three scholarship passers on the roster — and help at wide receiver, at the bare minimum.
Of higher priority, though, will be to keep major projected contributors away from the portal. As he did at his introductory press conference, Frost relates his own experience, leaving UCF for the coveted coaching position at Nebraska, as a somewhat cautionary tale.
“You have a tendency in life to think grass is always greener somewhere else, and usually it’s not,” Frost said. “When you’re 18, 19, 20 years old and think money is everything, it’s not. Happiness and success are way more important than that, and I’ve learned that, personally.”
DayDay Farmer, Justin Royes require season-ending surgeries
Injuries, predominantly of the soft tissue variety, piled up in the final few weeks of camp for the Knights. However, Frost ruled two players out for the upcoming season Saturday.
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Justin Royes, who joined in the winter from Division II Virginia Union, was sidelined for most of the spring with an unspecified injury. Frost confirmed it will require season-ending surgery.
The same is true of sophomore slot receiver DayDay Farmer, who suffered a non-contact knee injury while cutting in an open-field tackling drill April 11. Farmer, a Melbourne native, caught six passes for 54 yards in his lone campaign at West Virginia.
“That was unfortunate,” Frost said. “He was doing some really good things, so we’re excited about DayDay going forward. But he’s going to have his knee worked on in a little while.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
