First of all, my apologies for not making this post on Monday. I was trying to finish the Monday media availability stuff and got busy on a couple other things.
But first, let's all calm down. There is nothing to see here. Really. At least not yet.
I just caught up on some of the various reports and rumors out there. It all sounds eerily similar to what WDBO's Scott Anez said on the radio on Monday. I didn't hear it personally, but Carson Ingle and Commuter Bob did hear it live and passed it along.
To summarize what Anez said on Monday: Frost is Florida's top target, Spurrier has even given UF administrators the blessing for the hire, and Frost either has been or will soon be offered the job.
Maybe somebody who religiously sits on UF message boards and blogs knows if there's anything out there that predates Anez's "report," but everything I've seen has come after the fact. I believe I know Anez's source - somebody did tip me off on that earlier tonight. I'm not trying to out anybody, but the "source" is indeed Bull Gator in nature and I could see where somebody might believe this person, based on their family status. But at the same time I was told this person is full of it and just exaggerating on wishful thinking to push a narrative (they love Frost as a candidate).
I don't doubt Frost will be a UF candidate. I'm sure UF AD Scott Stricklin is intrigued about what he's done at UCF. He should be very high on their list. I can't sit here and act like I know what will ultimately happen either. But we're 48 hours out from what was one of the oddest coaching dismissals in college football history. Many specifics have yet to be clarified, whether Jim McElwain is being fired for cause or what. And yet we're supposed to believe 24 hours afterward that Florida has singled out one candidate?
And believe me, the last thing on Scott Frost's mind is any job other than the one he already has. He's about to become a father any day. He's consumed with getting ready for SMU, but more than that he's worried/nervous/excited and any other emotion you can come up with regarding becoming a first-time dad. He may not even be in Dallas on Saturday.
Long term though, I don't think Frost has any intention right now of leaving UCF after two years. I'm not saying he's staying at UCF forever, but it did sound like, based on various things I've heard from connected folks, that he was committed for at least three or four years. Preseason, he also thought 2018 was to be the breakout year, not this season, so things are ahead of schedule in that regard.
Frost's motivations are also different than most coaches. He's not a "me coach." Not at all. Many coaches, even if they try not to act like it, crave the attention and spotlight. Not Frost.
He's not consumed with money, at least not for himself. More money is always nice, don't get me wrong, but he's not running to another job just for another million dollars. He is concerned about staff salaries, which is what the recent UCF Football Excellence Club push has been about.
Frost wants to win. He could have had the Maryland and Syracuse jobs, but thought UCF had the biggest upside. Better talent base for recruiting. UCF has a significantly better chance of playing in a top-tier bowl game than many Power Five schools.
Never say never, but realistically, UCF is ultimately capped to New Year's Six or bust which is why at the end of the day I feel a program like Florida is a bigger threat than Nebraska, just for the fact it's a much more doable path to a National Championship at UF, if and when Frost decides he's ready for the next challenge. Is that after this season? A couple years down the road?
I will say this: UCF AD Danny White is doing everything he possibly can to keep Frost in Orlando. You have seen the evidence - the Excellence Club push. UCF however cannot get into a bidding war with the likes of UF and Nebraska, should they fire Mike Riley. If Frost wants to leave, he'll leave. But if he wants to stay, he has the power to end the speculation and sign a contract extension. If I'm his agent, I'd want him to wait to see what materializes in the coaching carousel, but if Frost does want to stay at least in the short-term and is concerned about the negative impact with the team itself and in recruiting, maybe he publicly ends the speculation before we get to December. Frost has that power.
As I make this post, it's still October (for another few minutes). It's just way too early to get worked up about this. I don't doubt for one second Florida will be seriously interested in Frost (along with other candidates), but good grief, they're still like four weeks out from being able to conduct any interviews of coaches not named Chip Kelly.
It's a magical season. Let's just enjoy the ride.
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