And the starter is…

Yeah, we don’t know, so if you thought I was going to break some news here, my apologies. However, what we do know is that coach Scott Frost has been steadfast in his stance that there isn’t a clear-cut leader in the QB race right now. That’s not to say that there haven’t been any bright spots, just that they haven’t seen enough yet to make a final decision.

Like many of you, I assume, I was skeptical about this claim, so I checked in with somebody who would have insight into the thinking and the decision, and I was told that this isn’t some coach-speak snow job, there really is uncertainty as to who gives the Knights the best chance to win. As Coach Frost mentioned in his two spring press conferences, they are charting every play and evaluating on a day-to-day basis. As for when a decision can be expected, Frost would have hoped weeks ago, but it appears he and the staff are not prepared to rush into it.

For more, check out Frost’s pressers from this past week:

So, how should we feel about all of this? On one hand, it could certainly be a bit of a concern that we aren’t able to tell who the “best“ QB is with only three weeks until the opening game. On the other hand, perhaps it’s not about finding the best QB, but rather the QB that fits within the offensive personnel. I had a chance to join the Burnham Brothers Podcast, hosted by former UCF DL coach Shane Burnham, and he talked about how the play of the offensive line could be a big factor in choosing the QB.

But, I can also understand the sense of dread some fans have after seeing practice clips from the past week. Keep in mind, the media only gets to see about 20 minutes of practice, and the staff is likely being calculated with what they show. That doesn’t mean that conclusions can’t be drawn, but take it all with a grain a salt. Also, if you want to make sure you see all of the practice clips, be sure you are following Sons reporter Nick Williams on X.

Check out these recaps from this past week:

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Meet the Coaching Staff

UCF held a coaches media day event featuring the main position coaches from offense, defense, and special teams. The Sons of UCF crew was on-hand and got a chance to talk to everybody, and we’ll be posting all of the interviews to our YouTube channel over the next few weeks. Here is what we have posted currently:

Speaking of the Sons of UCF crew, help us welcome the newest additions to our fall coverage:

Alumni Hall is the BEST place to get all of the UCF merchandise your heart desires. From apparel, hats, accessories, and collectables, Alumni Hall has you covered. Check out their physical store location (4100 N. Alafaya Tr), or find them online:

The Best of the Rest

The Pegasus Podcast crew of Bailey Adams and Christian Simmons gave their insight on the first days of practice:

Clay Pasco went through hours of film to create this preview of the Knights offensive weapons:

You can also check out the ABCs of UCF Football, authored by yours truly:

Trace Trylko and I also dropped a new episode of Sons Today this week where we ask the question: do you feel better about the offense or the defense? Check it out by clicking here

Visit Florida Football Prep for all of your youth football needs. They have equipment, apparel, as well as a revolutionary process to get your footballs conditioned for practice. Find them online now:

Today I Learned

It is super easy, and maybe a tad lazy, to continue to compare the 2025 season to Scott Frost’s original first year at UCF in 2016. But, in listening to wide receiver coach Sean Beckton talk at coaches media day, I was reminded that there is an interesting parallel as it relates to the wide receiver corps.

As many have pointed out, the current wide receiver room has plenty of raw, unproven talent at this level of college football. Transfers Marcus Burke, DJ Black, Chris Domercant, and Duane Thomas Jr join freshman Waden Charles, Carl Jenkins Jr, Bredell Richardson (redshirt), and Jordyn Bridgewater (redshirt) to form what appears to be the nucleus of this group. The lack of experience or past production has many Knights fans with questions at this position.

The 2016 receivers were also a bit of a question, with the one big exception being Tre’Quan Smith, who caught 52 passes on the winless 2015 team, and followed that up with 57 receptions in 2016. But, does anybody actually remember the rest of that 2016 room? The second leading receiver that year was Taylor Oldham, who caught 35 passes (in his first three seasons, he had a combined 10 receptions). No other receiver caught more than 18 balls that season, which included true freshman Dredrick Snelson, who had 17. Cam Stewart and Tristan Payton round out the rest of that group, with 18 and 12 catches, respectively.

However, another interesting fact about that 2016 team is that tight ends and running backs played a big role in the pass game. Tight ends Jordan Akins and Jordan Franks combined for 34 receptions, while running backs Juwon Hamilton, Adrian Killins, and Dontravious Wilson hauled in 37 receptions.

Fast forward to 2025, and looking at this current Knights roster, you can see how a similar scenario could play out. Tight ends Dylan Wade and Kylan Fox are both big, strong, and athletic players who could easily factor into the passing game. We’ve also heard about the versatility of running back Jaden Nixon, who had a career high 22 receptions for Oklahoma State in 2022.

So, while this current group of receivers might not have the name recognition or pedigree we’ve seen in the past few seasons, perhaps Frost and Beckton can scheme and develop this entire offseason, and not just receivers, to drive the passing game.

You can also always find the Sons in audio form on your favorite podcast player. While a lot of our work is video based and loaded onto YouTube, we’re still a small podcast at heart. Use our Linktree to find your favorite platform, and be sure to subscribe.

What’s Next

The Sons will continue to bring you everything we can as UCF leads up to its opening game on August 28th. That includes practice availabilities, media sessions, and the upcoming players media day. So be sure to subscribe to our YouTube feed and podcast feed.

We’ll also be transitioning back to our regular schedule soon, which includes Sons of UCF LIVE on Thursday nights, and Around The Kingdom during the mid-week. We’ve been working to make some enhancements to our programming, so stay tuned.

Lastly, in the next few weeks, we will announce a new partnership that should give us some additional growth throughout the Big 12. We’re excited about the potential for this partnership, and look forward to continuing to be a representative and a voice for UCF across college sports.

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

Charge On.