T.J. Birkel 
Scott Frost
We’ve said it before: when it comes to Scott Frost, it’s complicated for Nebraska fans. Some Husker fans are still plenty salty about how his tenure in Lincoln turned out. Others are happy he’s getting a second chance, and interested to see how it plays out now that he’s back as the head man at Central Florida.
I have to admit: I can’t help but keep one half of one eye on how it’s going with Frost back at the helm in Orlando. To me, he’ll always be a Husker legend as a player, and I will never not be shocked that it didn’t work out for him as the head coach at Nebraska. Maybe it’s the 1990s teenager in me; maybe I’m just a sap. But I’ll admit: I find myself pulling for him to make it work at UCF again.
If you’re not in that camp, that is perfectly understandable, and you can feel free to ignore the rest of this article. But I was intrigued last week when the Knights’ official Twitter account put out a graphic: “2025 UCF Football Coaching Staff.” Here’s the full staff, so you can see for yourself:
Now that Frost has finalized his coaching staff, here’s what jumped out to me.
Big Time Nebraska Flavor. Four major pieces of Frost’s Nebraska staff will be reunited with him in Orlando. You had to figure several former assistants would land back with Frost in one capacity or another, and it’s interesting to see how it all came together.
Steve Cooper, who served in more junior roles like offensive analyst and offensive quality control assistant for most of his time in Lincoln, will be Frost’s Offensive Coordinator. Cooper does have OC experience, but I’d bet good money Frost will be the one calling plays again at UCF. Although it’s rare for a head coach to call plays in this day and age, Frost has always done it, except for the very end of his tenure at Nebraska.
Mike Dawson will be Defensive Run Game Coordinator and coach edge rushers. Dawson served two different stints for Frost at Nebraska, coaching both outside linebackers and the defensive line over a total of four years. He had a one year sojourn in the NFL after the 2018 season, and then returned to Lincoln for the remainder of Frost’s time there. I always thought Dawson did a good job with his units, and he seemed to be well liked by his players. He was also on Frost’s first UCF staff, so he is no stranger to Orlando.
Sean Beckton Sr. is basically UCF royalty, so this one is no surprise. He was Tight Ends Coach for five years at Nebraska, and will serve as Frost’s Associate Head Coach and Wide Receivers Coach in Orlando. Beckton was a standout wide receiver for the Knights from 1987-1990, and is in the midst of his fourth stint as a member of the Central Florida coaching staff (including with Frost the first time). He has served in one role or another for more than 15 years at UCF. Beckton always did a great job with his tight ends at Nebraska, and seems to have found the perfect fit back at UCF.
Zach Duval will be UCF’s Director of Strength and Conditioning. He’s a Nebraska alum, and his roots with the Huskers go all the way back to being a graduate assistant with Husker Power in the mid-1990s. He was Frost’s head strength and conditioning coach for his entire tenure in Lincoln, and served in a similar role on Frost’s first staff at UCF. As we learned when we talked to Boyd Epley on the Common Fan Podcast, the tentacles of the Husker Power coaching tree reach far and wide.
McKenzie Milton as QB’s Coach. Milton was a star as a player at UCF. He threw for 8,683 yards and 72 touchdowns during his time in black and gold. He led the Knights to undefeated seasons and New Years Six bowl games for two consecutive seasons, and finished sixth in the Heisman voting after the 2018 season. He suffered a severe injury late in 2018, and was basically never the same as a player. I remember Frost mentioning that he FaceTimed with Milton after the injury, and saying how badly he felt for his former player. To me, this is a great story. Frost mentored Milton for his best season as a player, and now he’s giving him his first chance as a major college position coach. It’s a big opportunity for the 27 year old Milton, and I would venture to guess he has an intimate understanding of Frost’s system in a way that few others do.
Question Mark at Defensive Coordinator. Alex Grinch is one of the more fascinating hires on Frost’s staff. He’s a guy with legitimate credentials—he was a Broyles Award finalist in 2017 (at Washington State) and 2019 (at Oklahoma). He’s also spent time on staff at Missouri, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin. While he saw success in the early part of his career, Grinch’s tenure as USC’s Defensive Coordinator (2022-23) was a disaster. His defenses were consistently gashed, particularly against physical teams, and he was let go late in the 2023 season after yet another poor showing. I remember watching a few USC games that fall and thinking, “Man, this might be the poorest tackling team I have ever seen.” By the time he was fired, many USC fans were begging for a change.
Grinch has proven he can succeed in the right situation, and maybe that’s what he’ll find at UCF. Even Frost’s best teams weren’t known for their defense; he likes to go fast and score as many points as possible on offense, and he wants his defense to be aggressive and get the ball back to the offense. But he’s never run a defense-first operation. Further, the Knights don’t have the pressure or expectations of a blue-blood program like USC. It will be interesting to see if Grinch can recapture some of the magic that once made him a rising star in the coaching world as he gets another crack at being a coordinator.
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