After surviving a chaotic first season, Scott Frost is leveraging the transfer portal to retool the Knights' roster, turning roster volatility into a competitive advantage in Orlando.
The NCAA transfer portal has increased player movement in college football, meaning programs must rebuild every year, and UCF Knights coach Scott Frost has embraced that challenge.
Frost and his coaching staff were more prepared for this year's transfer portal cycle than last year's. UCF brought in over 30 players and retained key players Frost viewed as foundational to the culture he's building.
While the Knights did a solid job of retooling their roster -- adding dynamic wide receivers, bolstering the secondary and landing a starting quarterback -- they must do it again after next season. Frost acknowledged the new environment of college football and is adapting to coaching a new team every season.
"We're going to have to go through this process to some degree every year," Frost told reporters at Big 12 media day on Wednesday. "I'm really happy with where our team is right now. I think we're better at almost every single position on our football team, and I know the attitude and character of our players and just overall team are better."
This year's transfer portal cycle was a success in Frost's eyes, but he struggled to adapt last year. UCF hired Frost on Dec. 7, 2024, several weeks before the 2025 transfer portal window opened.
Frost returned to Orlando for his second tenure after six seasons away, and the first month was chaotic. He was building out his coaching staff, which was detrimental to player retention among those considering a transfer.
The Knights lost 41 players during the 2025 transfer portal. It was a major turnaround for Frost, even if he was familiar with the program.
"Our own players that I didn't even know yet were, you know, trying to decide what to do," Frost said. "I didn't have a staff, so people were going on visits and getting signed, and the deals were being made. And I didn't even have a recruiting department really."
Despite all the setbacks, UCF almost made a bowl game last season. The team finished 5-7, with their postseason fate hinging on a road win over the then-No. 11 BYU Cougars.
Once the season ended, the yearly rebuild started for Frost and his staff. This time, he had all the resources needed to build the team in his vision.
UCF lost 14 players to this year's transfer portal, a plus-27 improvement from last year. Frost retained key players like wide receiver Waden Charles and defensive back Jayden Bellamy, players he viewed as program cornerstones.
Frost has adapted to the ever-changing environment of college football and has embraced using the transfer portal to retool the Knights' roster and field a competitive team.
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