UCF football kicks off preseason camp looking to ‘raise the standard’

As Scott Frost took to the practice field Monday to open UCF’s preseason football camp, construction workers a few hundred yards away busily put the finishing touches on the Roth Tower expansion at the Acrisure Bounce House Stadium.

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It’s Year 2 for Frost in his return to the program he left eight years ago.

His mark from that first go-around can be seen squarely on the facade of the newly rebuilt tower structure: 2017 National Champions. It’s a welcome reminder of that perfect 13-0 season, a banner high above the Knights’ kingdom.

While there are those wishing for another perfect performance in Frost’s second chapter in Central Florida, it would be an unfair expectation to place on this version of the Knights. The college football landscape is radically different this time around with the transfer portal, name, image and likeness (NIL) and revenue sharing.

In Frost’s first season back, UCF finished with an underwhelming 5-7 record. There was a chaotic offseason that involved hiring a new coaching staff and signing nearly 70 newcomers. Plus, the team had to deal with the death of offensive line coach Shawn Clark, who passed away suddenly three weeks into the season.

This time around, the Knights added 57 new faces: 31 transfers, 15 high school signees and 11 walk-ons. Twenty-two of the 31 transfers were upperclassmen, bringing much-needed experience to a team seeking to be tougher and more determined in 2026.

“In a lot of ways, I’m more comfortable,” Frost said Monday about the difference between the start of last season’s preseason camp and this year’s. “The whole staff is more comfortable. The team is farther ahead. Everybody understands the mission and how we’re trying to get there. We’ve got a lot better overall character on this football team and we have more talent.”

UCF won a program-best 25 straight games between 2017 and 2018. The Knights posted six consecutive winning seasons through 2022. Since joining the Big 12 in 2023, however, the program has won just 41% (15-22) of its games.

Still, what’s in the past is in the past, according to Frost.

“I asked the guys in a meeting yesterday to raise their hand if they started (a game) at UCF and are still here and about 25 to 33% of the room raised their hands,” said Frost. “Talking about last year doesn’t mean much when you have that many new guys.”

Senior linebacker Lewis Carter, who returned following a breakout season in which he led the Knights in tackles with 92, has already noticed a difference among this year’s team compared to last.

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“There’s a little bit more buy-in, a lot more maturity, a lot of guys that are experienced, having played a good amount of ball,” said Carter. “Guys who know a little bit more ball and are willing to work.”

One of those new guys who’s bought into this season’s message is quarterback Alonza Barnett III. A multi-year starter, Barnett transferred to UCF after leading James Madison to the Sun Belt Conference crown and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The North Carolina native earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors after totaling nearly 3,400 yards of total offense and 38 total touchdowns last season for the Dukes. After being sidelined for all of spring camp, Barnett was on the field Monday, leading the team.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to raise the standard of this program,” said Barnett. “I want to carry Coach Frost’s vision of the program. Coaches talk about how to spread that in the locker room. We have the guys that not only have the attitude, but the willingness to work.”

UCF kicks the season off in less than a month when the Knights host Bethune-Cookman on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. Until then, the players and coaches are setting their own expectations — loftier goals than 5-7, to be sure — even if few outside the program have faith in their ability to succeed.

“Our standard and our expectations for the players are higher and it’s going to keep getting higher because these guys are capable of meeting those standards,” Frost said. “Overall, as a team, we have a lot higher ceiling and we’re going to push the guys to that.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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