LIFE ADVICE GONE WRONG

The Sons of UCF Newsletter, Volume 21

(L to R) Adam Eaton, Andrew Cherico, and Trace Trylko

Media Day Musings, Part 1

The Sons of UCF spent two days at the Dallas Cowboys practice facility, The Star, in Frisco, Texas, this past week covering the 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days. For those unaware of the event, it’s an extravaganza of players, coaches, and administrators from all sixteen teams coming together to talk about the upcoming season (commonly referred to as ‘talking season’). The setup and layout of the event affords the media multiple opportunities to talk directly with people, both on and off the record. The Sons crew was able to record multiple videos throughout the week (some already available, and some that will be released soon), but there are still plenty of behind-the-scenes nuggets to share. So, let’s recap:

The quote heard around the internet - Before I get into more details, it is important that I explain the setup of the venue. The event is held on a full-size football field, with one half arranged to accommodate the main stage, and the other half housing radio row and small interview tables. This year, the conference also arranged several private rooms for national media outlets, including CBS, Fox, and The Athletic, among others. These rooms were located in hallways in and around the locker room areas. As part of their schedule, coaches visited each of these rooms to talk with media members from the respective outlets. It was that setting that produced this:

Word quickly began to spread through the stadium about this quote, and it continued to ignite over the next few days. I can tell you firsthand that when this tweet made its rounds to UCF leadership in the stadium, they were not pleased. In particular, UCF took exception with the way the quote was framed and the lack of additional context. Later, it was stated by some that UCF and Scott Frost felt that this quote was off the record. I had a chance to speak with Chris Vannini the day after the above tweet was posted, and while he did not want to go on camera or do a formal interview, he did share that in his view, the entire conversation was clearly established as being on the record.

In this instance, it was the direct nature of the quote that caught me and others by surprise. Why would Frost open himself up to this, I wondered. Well, the answer came pretty quickly if you followed the tweets:

For some additional context on this tweet string, the first tweet was posted at 2:36 PM, and the follow-up was posted at 2:58 PM. Now, I normally wouldn’t concern myself with such a small detail, but the order of events is important and instructive. In an episode of the podcast The Bunch Formation, hosted by Chris Vannini and David Ubben from The Athletic, posted after Big 12 Media Days, they discuss the exchange with Frost (UCF talk begins at 27:00). What is made clear in their review of the events is that the second tweet posted was actually the answer to the first question, and the original tweet that started this chain of events was actually the second follow-up question (because Frost shut down the first question about Nebraska).

Armed with this detail, the situation becomes a bit clearer and understandable. Frost was answering questions about his first stint at UCF and why it was tough to leave, and in the course of the follow-up to that exchange, he offered a sarcastic quip while not mentioning Nebraska, or answering a direct question involving Nebraska. However, the original tweet from Vannini references Nebraska, as if to indicate otherwise. And while I was not in the room for the conversation, and did not speak to anybody at UCF about the incident, I believe this is what rankled Frost and UCF.

With all of that additional context out of the way, let’s circle back to the quote itself, which, in my view, is much ado about nothing. If anybody has been paying attention to Scott Frost’s media sessions since his hire at UCF, you know that he has shared some form of this sentiment on several different occasions. While he has gone out of his way not to mention Nebraska by name, he’s made it fairly clear that he has regrets about the decision to leave UCF. He’s also been careful to frame things through the lens of his current job at UCF, including mentioning how much he appreciates some anonymity, support from his Athletics Director, and having his family treated well. It should be obvious to all that Frost has some unfavorable feelings about his time at Nebraska, and is still working through the process of moving past those emotions. At the end of the day, should he have made the comment? Probably not. Should he have been smarter than to give the national media a juicy sound bite? Yes.

His exit from Nebraska was like a bad break-up, with both sides pointing fingers at the other. Who is ultimately in the right? I’m not sure if we’ll ever get full consensus on that, but as we sit here today, does it matter? For now, I’ll take Frost at his word that he’s learned from failure and is ready for the challenges ahead. And just like him, maybe it’s time we all try to move on from Nebraska.

For more from Scott Frost, check out these interviews from Big 12 Media Days:

You can also read Brian Peterson’s take on the whole situation, which is available on our website - click here

You can also hear the thoughts of Bailey Adams and Christian Simmons from the Pegasus Podcast:

The law firm of Werner, Hoffman, Greig, and Garcia are proud supporters of the Sons of UCF. The firm has over 120+ years of combined legal experience and unmatched customer service. Partner Michael Hoffman is a proud UCF alum, and will personally make sure you get the support you need:

Scott Frost being interviewed by Adam Eaton on radio row

Media Day Musings, Part 2

The Interview Process - Both Scott Frost and Terry Mohajir told me that they felt really good about the players they have brought onto this team. Mohajir specifically mentioned that he felt like the staff was interviewing the players as much as the players were interviewing the staff. Their focus wasn’t on star rankings or previous schools, but rather how they fit into the culture the Knights are trying to build.

The Talent - In our interview with Scott Frost, he mentioned that he felt really good about the talent on this team. In talking with other members of the media who also spoke with Frost, they shared that he has a quiet confidence in the talent level of this team, and thinks they might surprise some people.

The Inexperience - Despite the talent, Frost mentioned that he is still not sure how his team will respond when adversity strikes. Moreover, he also shared that while this team might have talent, they are also unproven and inexperienced. I think this is something to file away as the season gets rolling. You can have all of the talent in the world, but if you can’t stay away from mental mistakes, fatigue, and turnovers, it will be hard to win games.

The Quarterbacks - Frost was asked several times by multiple outlets about his decision at QB, and he did not divulge much by way of info. In our interview, he shared that he doesn’t have a timetable to make a decision, and that he’ll know when he knows. However, one thing I found interesting is that Frost consistently mentioned how he has three guys he trusts, presumably Tayven Jackson, Jacurri Brown, and Cam Fancher. In fact, when Andrew Cherico from Knights247 referred to the battle as a two man race, Frost was quick to throw in that there are three guys vying for the job, not two. This also likely means that Davi Belfort, the latest addition to the QB room from Virginia Tech, still needs time to develop and learn the playbook.

The Chip - We all know that athletes and coaches often look for any advantage, real or imagined, as fuel for performance. However, in this case, the players and coaches at UCF appear to have a legitimate chip planted firmly on their shoulders. In speaking with LB Keli Lawson, he stated that he and his teammates love being counted out and overlooked. RB Myles Montgomery stated that he is ready to prove himself to the doubters. In talking with several members of the national media, many think that both Scott Frost and Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch will be coaching with something to prove. Will a little extra motivation make the difference this year for the Knights?

The Questions - In talking to other members of the media, the belief is that the Knights success will hinge solely on if UCF can find the right quarterback. From the current crop of QBs, most expect Tayven Jackson to be the choice based solely on his skill set and pedigree of playing at other P4 schools. However, keep in mind that these are just predictions, and Frost has not tipped his hand to anybody.

Check out all of the conversations we have posted on our YouTube channel:

The football season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to upgrade your gear. Head over to Alumni Hall, located on the corner of University and Alafaya at 4100 N Alafaya Tr, or shop online

Partner up

I’ve seen a few questions about the Sons interactions with Knights247 with Latavius Murray, so allow me to provide an update. First, I want to congratulate Robert Aronoff (aka 2Letters2Words) and Latavius Murray on their acquisition of the publishing rights to the Knights247 brand. It is awesome to see that the CBS fronted property will stay in the hands of people who really care about UCF.

If you have been a fan of the Sons, you are likely familiar with Robert based on his YouTube video series highlighting tailgating throughout the Big 12. In short, Robert is somebody we consider a friend, and when he reached out to us about his acquisition and a potential partnership, we were happy to support.

What that means is you might see us working together on some projects - much like we did this past week as Knights247 sponsored our coverage from Big 12 Media Days. It also means that we will share some of the very talented people who have been working with us, including Matthew Turman (who you might know as UCF Report), Dali Drama, and of course, Andrew Cherico (who was the subject of a great feature story in The Athletic).

However, the Sons will remain independent and continue to operate as a separate entity. We are proud of what we have built, and we like the fact that we own our success, or failure. If we’ve seen anything over the past couple of weeks, the media space can be volatile, and it feels good not to have that hanging over our heads.

Either way, Knights247 will have you covered with original articles and message board material, while the Sons will keep trucking along with audio and video content. Make sure you follow both of us, and check out the Knights247 with Latavius Murray site.

You can check out the Sons of UCF x Knights247 Media Day roundtable discussion we filmed recently, by clicking here

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We keep moving

A big thanks to all of you who followed our coverage from Dallas. We are always excited to attend the event and represent UCF amongst the Big 12 Media. We’ll have some more videos hitting YouTube over the next couple of weeks, so make sure you are subscribed. And, if you want to do us a big favor, make sure you tell your friends as well. Our goal is to get to 2,000 subs before the first game of the 2025 season, and as of this writing, we have 71 to go!

We’ll also have an exciting new partnership that we’ll be announcing soon, which should introduce us to a whole new audience. Stay tuned.

And lastly, a new project will be dropping this week that includes something very few people have ever seen before:

Have a great week, and take care of yourselves and each other