Local voices weigh in on recruiting and the transfer portal

The boos rained down from the stands as Gus Malzahn walked off the Bounce House field on November 29, 2024, after a 28-14 loss to Utah, cementing a 4-8 season. Twenty-four hours later, Gus was gone, trading his black-and-gold visor of responsibilities for the promise of a garnet-and-gold safety net at Florida State.

Seven days later, Scott Frost was announced as UCF Football’s Head Coach… again. His hiring quickly swung the vibes pendulum from despair to optimism, largely due to the wild success during his first tenure in Orlando. In the announcement of his hire, Frost said, “The foundation we built here has only grown stronger, and I am thrilled to continue shaping this program’s legacy.”

In the 18 months since that statement, many things have continued to change and evolve in college athletics and in the Knights football program. But how has Frost done in reshaping and building the program? The Sons of UCF convened a panel of local media and content creators to get their thoughts on whether UCF is better, worse, or the same in several key areas of the program in the 18 months since Frost’s hire.

The panel of respondents includes: Christian Simmons (Pegasus Podcast), Andrew Cherico (Knights 247, Sons of UCF), Brian Peterson (Sons of UCF), Austin Heffernan (Space Knights), Dali Drama (Knights 247, Sons of UCF), and Adam Eaton (Sons of UCF).

In part one of a four part series, we examine player acquisition through high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

High School Recruiting: Better, Worse, or the Same?

Christian: WORSE. Fans may not want to hear it, but there’s no way around this one. UCF’s incoming freshman class ranked 14th in the Big 12 per 247. For all his faults, Gus Malzahn made a habit of landing at least a couple big-time players in each class (even if they didn’t always pan out). But Frost has the chance to make this take age horridly. His two classes in his first stint at UCF didn’t rank well, but were filled with under-recruited gems who went on to develop into program legends and NFL draft picks. It’s just a question of if he can do it again in the NIL Era.

Andrew: SAME. Since Scott Frost returned to UCF, it has become clear that the program’s primary focus has been the transfer portal rather than traditional high school recruiting. The goal has been to acquire experienced talent capable of making an immediate impact, particularly as the Knights continue navigating the demands of the Big 12. That doesn’t mean UCF has ignored high school recruiting. The staff has continued to evaluate and pursue talented prospects, but comparing Frost’s approach to the recruiting classes assembled under Gus Malzahn isn’t entirely fair. Malzahn dedicated more resources to high school recruiting, even though those investments often had little impact on the current season.

UCF’s recruiting rankings have reflected that shift in philosophy. The Knights signed the No. 34 class nationally in 2024, followed by the No. 52 class in 2025 and the No. 68 class in 2026. While those numbers indicate a decline on paper, they also appear to reflect a strategic decision to allocate more resources toward roster retention and portal acquisitions while laying the groundwork for future recruiting cycles. Even with the lower rankings, the 2026 class featured notable additions. UCF landed Tyren Hornes, the highest-rated offensive recruit in program history, along with Rocco Marriott, the highest-rated quarterback recruit the program has ever signed.

Brian: BETTER-ish. Frost’s return feels like it’s re-centered UCF’s identity in the state of Florida. The staff has leaned heavily into relationships with high school programs, particularly in Central Florida, and that’s already paying off in terms of more consistent high school pipeline building. No, the recruiting rankings haven’t suddenly exploded with 4- and 5-star fireworks, but the approach feels a lot more intentional than the previous regime, which at times resembled a year-to-year roster patch job via the portal. This version of UCF recruiting feels like it has a blueprint. The bigger win is philosophical: UCF is recruiting with development and culture in mind again, not just patching holes. It’s early, but I “feel” better about Frost’s team being able to evaluate and find talent. We’ll see if that holds. The classes have more structure, more Florida speed, and fewer kids who look like they were added because someone’s cousin knew a guy.

Austin: WORSE. We’re ranked 63rd in the country for the 2026 class. That’s not great, but who gives a bleep about High School Recruiting in 2026? If you still care about recruiting rankings in the modern era of college football, you may not be paying attention. Gus was great at recruiting, but you saw how that didn’t work for us on the field.

Dali: WORSE. For a Power 4 program, we’re in the mid-to-low tier. The 2026 class is ranked about 60th in the country and 14th in the Big 12. We need to improve on the offensive and defensive lines, but Rocco Marriott, our highest-rated quarterback ever, looks promising. We’ve also found some hidden talent like receiver Tyren Hornes. Our in-state recruiting is stronger, but we still don’t land many top prospects or blue chips.

Adam: WORSE. It is clear that UCF has adopted a philosophy of building (and/or rebuilding) the team through the portal, which has obviously reduced reliance on high school recruits to highlight the roster. As such, you don’t see UCF as active in high-profile recruiting battles as you did under the Gus Malzahn era. To be fair to Frost, this change in philosophy might be the right move based on the current NIL landscape, but national recruiting sites and services certainly have been less than impressed with what UCF has put on the board (68^th-ranked class per 247 Sports). That said, Frost’s first full class of players could have some bright spots in Tyren Hornes, Kaj Baker, Art Lewis, and Rocco Marriott, assuming UCF can develop them and, more importantly, keep them.

Transfer Portal: Better, Worse, or the Same?

Christian: BETTER. I’m bullish on Frost’s portal strategy, and it’s a massive departure from what we saw in the Malzahn Era. UCF seems to essentially be taking a stab at assembling a G5/FCS All-Star Team, with most of its class made up of high performers from lower levels. Gone are the days of filling out the roster with former 5-stars who didn’t catch on at an SEC school.

Andrew: BETTER. When Scott Frost first arrived in Orlando, UCF had little choice but to take an aggressive approach in the transfer portal. The coaching staff was tasked with rebuilding much of the roster in a single portal cycle, making immediate additions a necessity rather than a luxury. This time around, the situation was much different. UCF was able to retain the vast majority of the players it prioritized, keeping most of its key targets from entering the portal. The Knights also landed one of the most sought-after quarterbacks available in Alonza Barnett III, giving the offense an experienced and proven playmaker under center.

Brian: SAME. This answer may seem a little counterintuitive given what I just said about feeling better on the recruiting side, but stick with me. UCF is still an active portal program—just like everyone else in the Big 12 and across the country. Frost hasn’t abandoned the portal, nor should he, but the approach feels more measured and less like a late-night impulse shopping spree. I’m looking at you, Gus.

Portal actions feel more measured. There’s still churn, and depth pieces continue to cycle in and out, but that’s just the modern reality of roster building. At this point, UCF isn’t winning or losing disproportionately in the portal compared to its peers. It’s more about equilibrium than advantage. Where the portal differs from recruiting is in the area of development. It’s much tougher to develop your players when you only have them on the team for 1-2 years max. We’ll see how our star transfer QB plays this year and reevaluate this category later.

Austin: BETTER. It’s better because of the strategy. Gus had no strategy with the portal. He would go get players hungry for P4 playing time while stashing his highly touted recruits on the bench all year. Gus and his staff chased a defensive player who quit mid-season. Frost’s strategy with the portal has been to supplement what he has here and get culture and scheme fits. I am willing to wager that a player Frost got via the portal or high school recruitment will never quit the team in the middle of a season.

Dali: WORSE. There’s been a lot of roster turnover and many players have left, but that’s common in college football now. Alonza Barnett is a good addition from the transfer portal, but how well he fits in with the team will be important for our success.

Adam: SAME: This one has the potential to swing drastically in either direction based on results of the 2026 season… more on that in a second.

In the Gus Malzahn era, the portal strategy seemed to be taking P4 backups and projects and hope for the best. It worked sometimes (for example, Javon Baker, Kobe Hudson, Amari Kight), but ultimately wasn’t successful enough to make a dent once UCF moved to the Big 12. Since his return to UCF, Frost and player personnel staffers Jeff Love (2025) and Trent Mossbrucker (2026) have focused on finding high-level experienced players from the G5 or FCS level to fill key spots on the roster. In 2025, the experienced-veteran concept worked fairly well, as highlighted by Phillip Dunnam, Cole Kozlowski, Duane Thomas, Noe Ruelas and Lewis Carter (among others). However, the record wasn’t vastly better under this philosophy, so the jury is still out.

But let’s not kid ourselves, this will really boil down to quarterback. Malzahn mostly whiffed in this area, as did Frost in year one. If Alonza Barnett can live up to expectations, Frost has a chance to tip the scales in his favor.

In part two of the series, our panel will examine UCF’s play on the field since Frost’s return