UCF Set to Kickoff 2025 vs. Jacksonville State Thursday

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, Aug. 28
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+ (watch here)
TV Talent: AJ Ricketts (PxP), Rene Ingoglia (Analyst)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP), Gary Parris (Analyst), Scott Adams (Sideline)
Spanish Radio: UCFKnights.com, YouTube.com/UCFKnights
Live Stats: click here

A WIN WOULD...

• Be better than a loss
• Give UCF its 300th win in program history
• Be the 20th of Coach Frost's UCF career
• Be the 10th straight season starting 1-0, beginning with 2016
• Be the 14th straight UCF victory under Coach Frost
• Make it 3,176 days without a UCF loss under the direction of Coach Frost

FIRST AND 10

FIRST FROST 2

• It's been said the best songs deserve an encore, and for the Knights, head coach Scott Frost has the chance to prove exactly that. After turning an 0-12 program into a national championship winning team at 13-0 in just two seasons, UCF is looking to prove that the sequel can be better than the original.
• The Knights suffered a completely defeated season in 2015, making way for then-Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost to take the reins in Orlando. After inheriting a team with zero wins to six wins and a bowl appearance in 2016, Frost and company stunned the world in 2017. The Knights had the lone unblemished record at season's end, recording a 13-0 record punctuated by a 34-27 over No. 7 Auburn at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
• While history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes. In this case, lots of Frost's return feels similar to the 2016 & 2017 years, but so much around the game has changed in the College Football Playoff, NIL and revenue sharing era. He welcomes a team of 63 newcomers, the bulk of them transfers.

63 NEWCOMERS

• In what is technically his third year at the helm of the Knights and the first in his second stint, over half of Frost's roster is new to UCF. Officially, 63 of the 112 players on the squad will be making their debut on the roster.
• Of the 63 newcomers, 36 are transfers from other D-I institutions. Another six transfers are from football programs throughout other levels while two are former Division I basketball players and one is a former MiLB pitcher.
• A recruiting class of 18 true freshmen make up the remaining newcomers

FEELING TRENDY

• The return of Scott Frost as UCF's head coach reignites some trends from his first tenure, showcasing where the program was at 2017's end
• The Knights ride a 13-game winning streak under Frost after being the only team in the 2017 season to finish with a perfect record
• UCF outscored their opponents 627-329 in 2017, scoring 30 points or more in all 13 victories. The Knights' offense ranked No. 1 in the nation, averaging 48.2 points per game. UCF's high-powered offense continued even after Frost had departed, as the Black and Gold tacked on 18 more consecutive games scoring 30 points or more.
• An opening night victory against Jacksonville State would be the 10th consecutive win for the Knights in their first game of the season, a trend Frost got going in his first game as UCF's head coach in 2016.
• UCF compiled 500+ yards of offense in eight of their 13 wins in 2017

NEW VS. NEW

• The Knights are one of 30 FBS programs that have a new head coach; 28 of which are completely new while the other two were elevated from interim.
• UCF will face three of those 30 as well as an additional opponent, North Carolina A&T of the FCS. The Knights will host the four: Charles Kelly with Jacksonville State (Aug. 28), Shawn Gibbs with N.C. A&T (Sep. 6), Bill Belichick with North Carolina (Sep. 20) and Rich Rodriguez with West Virginia (Oct. 18).
• Of the new crop this year, Frost and Rodriguez are the only pair of FBS head coaches that have coached at a school, left and then returned to the same place later. Including Frost, there are 16 sitting head coaches across all levels to have coached at a place, left and then returned. (Full list can be found in Knight Notes, along with more in depth information). There are well over 200 head coaches across all levels who have a similar path.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

• In addition to its head coach, there is plenty of new in UCF football in 2025
• The Knights will suit up in fresh uniforms, featuring the "Knighted Eras" number font. The font consists of four different eras of UCF football tied into one bigger and bolder look for the numbers.
• New grass was planted in the offseason, replacing the original field that was installed in 2007. The new grass is TifTuf ® Bermudagrass.
• Roth Tower looks a little different this season as it is undergoing the first of two phases of construction to be completed in time for the 2026 season

THRIVING ON THURSDAYS

• UCF enters its contest against Jacksonville State with the third-longest active win streak on Thursdays at 10. Two conference mates, Oklahoma State and Utah, lead the active list with 12 straight Thursday wins each.
• Other active Thursday win streaks include Memphis with nine and Toledo and Clemson with eight each. The longest Thursday winning streak in college football history belongs to Miami (FL) at 15 which went from 1998-2008.

SEASON OPENING STREAK

• The Knights begin 2025 riding a 10-game winning streak on opening night, as started by Frost in 2016 with a 38-0 win over South Carolina State
• Beyond that, UCF has started 1-0 in 18 of the last 20 seasons and has won 20 of 30 openers since becoming an FBS program to begin the 1996 season
• The Knights have won 15 of 18 home openers at Acrisure Bounce House, including four in a row and eight of the last nine

THE NATION IS WATCHING

• A trio of Knights begin the season on watchlists for the nation's finest awards
• Jaden Nixon earned a quartet of watchlist honors, making the Maxwell, Paul Hornung, Doak Walker and Earl Campbell lists. He, along with Nyjalik Kelly and Paul Rubelt, were honored by Phil Steele on his Preseason Big 12 Teams.
• Rubelt was named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watchlist while Myles Montgomery joined fellow running back Nixon on the Doak Award watchlist

RETURNING PRODUCTION

• With 63 new players on the roster, returning production is slim
• Four players from the 2024 squad started in six or more games, with Paul Rubelt being the lone returner to start in all 12. Just behind him was Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly with 11 starts while Braeden Marshall had six.
• In total, 17 returners from last year's roster played in seven games or more
• The three starters on defense who started six or more games last season account for 11.7% of tackles in 2024 (90 of 772), 22.2% of tackles for loss (18.5 of 83), 47.7% of sacks (10.5 of 22) and one of nine interceptions
• In total, 14 defensive returners from the 2024 roster tallied 148 tackles (19.2%), 22.5 tackles for loss (27.1%) 12 sacks (54.5%) and two of nine picks
• Offensive returners tallied 694 rushing yards (23.3%) and 88 receiving yards (3.7%)

UCFASTCAST

• Running backs Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon are poised to be a one-two punch on the gridiron, and have already proved the same in podcasting
• So far, the duo has hosted eight episodes in the preseason, welcoming guests such as legendary UCF running back Latavius Murray, as well as current teammates such as Paul Rubelt, Dalton Riggs, Keli Lawson and more

About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.