The University of Central Florida’s new head football coach is Scott Frost, a former college quarterback and NFL player who has helped lead the Oregon Ducks football program to national prominence.

Frost has been Oregon’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2013 under head coach Mark Helfrich, and Oregon wide receivers coach from 2009 to 2012 under current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.

During his first season as offensive coordinator, the Ducks set a school record for total offense at 7,345 yards, and finished with a top-ten ranking and a record of 11-2.

Oregon scored at least 42 points nine times in 2013 and 12 times in 2014. The Ducks have scored at least 38 points nine times so far in 2015.

“UCF is an excellent opportunity for me because our student-athletes can succeed immediately, both competitively and academically,” Frost said. “We’ve had great recent success — I vividly remember watching the Fiesta Bowl victory. With our student-athletes, football staff, facilities, fans and supporters, I know we will bring exciting and winning football back to Orlando.”

During Frost’s seven seasons at the University of Oregon, the Ducks have made two national championship game appearances and been PAC-10/PAC-12 conference champions four times. As quarterbacks coach, Frost helped develop Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota into a Heisman Trophy winner.

“Scott is a winner and innovator who has directed one of college football’s most exciting offenses at the University of Oregon,” said Danny White, UCF’s vice president and director of athletics. “His attitude and experience are exactly what we need to ensure the Knights compete, and win, at the highest levels. I couldn’t be more excited to bring Scott and his fiancée, Ashley, to the UCF family.”

Frost, a dynamic 40-year-old, has been around football at the collegiate and professional levels for more than two decades. He started as a freshman quarterback at Stanford before transferring to University of Nebraska. As starting quarterback for the Cornhuskers, he left with a 24-2 record – including an undefeated season and the national title in 1997.

A second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection who twice earned first-team academic all-conference honors, Frost graduated with his bachelor’s degree in finance from Nebraska in 1997.

In 1998, Frost was drafted by the New York Jets, and would go on to play as a defensive back and special teams standout for the Jets, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Including Kelly at Oregon, Frost has been coached by and associated with coaching greats, including Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, Tom Osborne and Jon Gruden.

“Scott’s success on the field and his ability to earn the trust and respect of his fellow coaches, players and recruits make him the ideal coach to lead our football program into the future,” said UCF President John C. Hitt. “UCF has a tradition of student-athlete academic success, and Scott has impressed me with his dedication to ensuring his student-athletes succeed in the classroom and on the field.”

Frost’s coaching career began with stops as a graduate assistant at Nebraska and Kansas State before serving as defensive coach at Northern Iowa from 2007 to 2008.

He joined the Oregon staff in 2009 as wide receivers coach, building up a formidable class of receivers before earning a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2013.

Frost will take over a UCF team that did not win a game in 2015 but won the American Athletic Conference’s championship each of the prior two seasons. The Knights finished No. 10 in the country in 2013 and beat Baylor in the 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Academically, UCF’s football program ranks No. 1 among public universities in the Football Bowl Subdivision – and No. 6 among all FBS schools – with a Graduation Success Rate of 90 percent.

Quotes:

Former Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne

“Scott Frost is very well prepared to be a head coach. He has experience on both sides of the ball both as a player and a coach. What he has accomplished at Oregon as offensive coordinator has been pretty remarkable, particularly this year with the injury to their quarterback. He has really distinguished himself in that regard.

“I know there has been a tremendous amount of interest from schools trying to hire Scott the past couple years, and I think this will be a good fit. He’s a guy that is in pretty high demand and I think he will do an outstanding job.”

2014 Heisman Trophy Winner and Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota

“Coach Frost has been a positive role model for me. I’m excited and glad that he has fulfilled a dream of becoming a head coach. His lessons reach further than the football field and he will have an immediate impact on the lives of his new student-athletes.”

Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach and Former Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly

“Scott is as intelligent of a coach as I have been around. He has all the traits you need to be successful. He’s motivated, smart and very detailed and organized in his work. He has great experience as a player and as a coach. He played quarterback at the college level and on defense as a safety in the NFL so he knows the game inside and out.”

Oregon Head Coach Mark Helfrich in 2013

“Scott is a bright, passionate and talented young coach … His background on both sides of the ball, the coaches he’s been exposed to and his high character offer further foundations for his success.”

Helfrich in 2014

“He gets the big picture. Two things that just jump out to me are that he’s tough and he’s smart. He’s a great communicator. Guys love playing for him.”