The return of Scott Frost to lead the UCF program this off season was just one of a few instances this off season where a head coach returned to his former school to lead the program for a second time, with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia being the other one at the FBS level.
During Frost's introductory presser 2.0 back in December after accepting the opportunity to replace Gus Malzahn, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State, he reflected back on his decision to leave Orlando to take over his alma mater at Nebraska heading into the 2018 season and gave the entire coaching profession some food for thought.
"When you're climbing the ladder of success in life, sometimes they forget to tell you to stop when you're happy," he shared upon his return.
After being let go at Nebraska following a 16-31 run with no postseason berths, Frost was lured onto the staff of the LA Rams under Sean McVay where his passion for coaching was reignited working with special teams and contributing to the offensive sand defensive sides of the ball as needed.
Frost told SI that the role with McVay was something he was very grateful for after he had considered doing something outside of coaching before being pulled back in by a last-second opening on the staff.
In fact, he enjoyed the role in the NFL so much he was ready to leave college football behind altogether.
"I had no interest in coming back to college. I was going to stay in the NFL," Frost told SI.
Then, as the Rams were battling for a playoff spot, word began to circulate that Malzahn may be preparing to leave, opening a possibility for a return at UCF.
Frost shares that he and his family loved being in Orlando, and UCF had a small college feel to it, with a great downtown, and Disney World just beyond that, in an environment full of enough hustle-and-bustle that he had the unique ability to go a few miles off campus and have dinner with his wife and not be bothered.
While the opportunity to come back to what he describes as "the only college job" he would have taken, Frost is coming back after being immersed with an offensive minded head coach that has been on the forefront of some of the most exciting and popular offensive trends in the game, so many fans of college football are looking forward to seeing how his experiences at Nebraska and with McVay in the NFL have changed him.
UCF and Frost will open their season August 28th against first-year head coach Charles Kelly and Jacksonville State at 7pm.