Scott Frost gives spring update, addresses Alonza Barnett’s status
UCF head coach Scott Frost met with reporters Saturday following the Knights’ sixth spring practice and offered an early progress report on his team through the first two weeks of camp.
Frost also provided the latest on quarterback Alonza Barnett, who remains limited while recovering from an undisclosed injury, though he said Barnett could be cleared to do more as early as next week.
Here’s everything he had to say:
You guys just wrapped up your second week of spring ball. How’s it going?
“I’ve been really happy. I’ve been happy with the attention to detail, just how our kids come to practice ready to be pros and try to get better. There’s a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of really good effort. The rest of it we can coach and the guys are giving us what we need to have them give us in order to improve.”
What has Alonza been able to do?
“He’s doing a lot of rehabbing right now. He’s throwing some, kind of on his own, mostly working with the trainers and then getting involved in meetings and on the field kind of taking reps. He’s getting a lot closer and we’re kind of being really cautious with him to make sure that he’s 100% ready to go before we put him out there.
“I’m not concerned. He’s played a lot of football and he’ll catch up really fast, but I don’t think we’re very far away from him being able to take part in it.”
When do you think Alonza will be able to take part in practice?
“I hope that next week he’s able to do some things and then hopefully that keeps progressing through spring.”
How has that helped out with the backup quarterback spot? Some of those guys maybe getting more opportunities than they would have normally during the spring month.
“Well, you know, that’s glass half empty, glass half full. You’d love to be getting some timing and everything with the guy you expect to be your starter, but on the flip side it’s given our backups and other quarterbacks a lot of opportunity to get comfortable. I think that’ll pay off at some point and it’s been good to see those guys.
“I’ve been impressed with how the offense is operating despite not having the main quarterback in there.”
Speaking of the quarterbacks, you’ve got one guy, Keyone Jenkins, who’s experienced, the other guys not so much. So what do you think from that competition? Is anyone standing out?
“Yeah, I think early on you could really see a difference with Lights, with Keyone, and just the operation of it, getting in and out of the huddle, just because he’s played more football. But I’ll tell you, Kaleb’s doing a good job. The two young guys are getting better every day.
“I think they’re really working hard in the meeting room and off the field to make sure that they know what they’re doing and it shows up. Just seeing the improvement day by day has been impressive.”
With Alonza, is it a matter of recovery from an off-season procedure?
“Yeah, I don’t want to talk about procedures and personal things too much, but it’s nothing major and he’s going to be fine. We just wanted to put him in the position to have the best chance to be healthy this year and be on for the rest of his career. And so we’re taking it slow.”
You talked about toughness, you wanted to see this team be more tougher than they were last year, last year’s team. What have you seen from that so far and earlier on in the spring, have you seen that maybe come up?
“Yeah, we’re playing physical and we’re playing fast, which is one of the signs. Toughness takes a lot of forms. The best thing that I’ve seen from our team that kind of just shows their mental toughness and their grit is how they’ve showed up six practices in a row ready to practice.
“I was a little worried about today, it was raining earlier this week, we were in the indoor twice with the air condition and this is the first time we’ve asked them to come back on a Saturday morning and we went out in the Florida heat. It was a nice day, but Florida heat on the grass and I kind of expected a little bit of an effort or intensity let down and it was the exact opposite.
“So just the way the guys are approaching everything kind of shows their fortitude and mental toughness just to keep coming and showing up trying to get better.”
Is that the experience factor, going out and getting experienced players to come in this time around, is that part of the experience factor?
“Yeah, we’re definitely a more mature team, there’s no question. I was kind of laughing. We had a scuffle on the field, which happens on the football field from time to time, and Ty Bartrum was walking back toward me and I go, why aren’t you in on that?
“And he goes, Coach, I’m too old to get involved in something like that. And I kind of laughed, but we have a lot more guys that are about the right things and all business and out there to get better. I think our experience and maturity will serve us well throughout the year.”
In this experience and maturity, does that kind of foundation help you feel confident in Alonza coming back?
“Yeah, I mean, he’s going to have a lot of guys that have already been in part of the offense that know what they’re doing. The pieces around him should be a lot more established once he’s ready to go, and that’s going to happen really soon. He’s also been doing a great job keeping up with everything we’re putting in and doing and taking reps, even though he’s not in there.
“So again, I don’t think it’s altogether a bad thing, and I think he’ll hit the ground running.”
Coach, you talked about Ty Bartrum there, just what strides are you seeing from the safety unit and the defense as a whole?
“Yeah, I see growth from those guys and just the depth we have at that position now of reliable guys that I know are going to be in the right spot, and they’ve all made plays.
“We’re having to earn it on offense because they’re not giving us a lot of easy things. Demari (Henderson) had two interceptions today. I’ve seen him take a big step physically and just with his effort and attitude.
“B. Marsh is always really solid for us, Caleb Flagg’s done good things, Matt Irwin’s done good things. I don’t want to leave anybody out, but I feel really good about our athletic ability and depth at that spot.”
Who has had a good two weeks? Has anyone stood out or surprised you so far?
“No, I never really want to point certain individuals out because there’s a lot of guys getting better, and everybody’s working hard. I just see overall improvement in almost every single position. And a lot of that has to do with maturity and experience and just the overall feel and attitude of the team is a lot closer to where we want it.”
Scott, we asked AJ Blazek about this the other day, but last year this team was really hampered with pre-snap penalties, things like that. How are you seeing a difference maybe under him, trying to eliminate that?
“Yeah, our urgency to get in and out of the huddle has been a lot better offensively. We’re asking the guys to do a lot of things and think before the snap and think during the snap.
“And sometimes when you’re putting the offense in for the first time, that can be a little overwhelming for guys, but as much as that, it’s just being able to stay locked in and focused and, you know, if you start thinking about who you have to block and what’s going to happen and you’re not mature enough or played enough to sit in and remember the snap count, little things like that got us last year.
“Not hustling in and out of the huddle and taking a little too long, being in a hurry and having something happen. Everything feels a lot more under control now and it has a lot to do with just how our kids come ready to play and the urgency and intensity that they’re doing.”
Coach Blazek has talked about with this guy’s body language, if a play doesn’t go well, just shake it off and move to the next. Is that the sort of message that you think can permeate throughout the team?
“Yeah, that’s part of toughness too is not showing that something bad is happening. You know, we talk about palms up. A lot of people in football talk about that.
“I don’t want guys to stand there with excuses or acting like victims. Look what happened to me. You know, there’s another snap coming and I want tough guys between the whistles, not tough guys after the whistle and this team’s doing a lot of things right right now.”
With regards to the O-line, how do you kind of judge how the veteran players are looking in addition to the development of some of the younger players as well, the new high school players and some of the guys who brought in late last year in the spring?
“Yeah, I’ll start with our coaching staff’s doing a really good job right now and AJ’s one of them. Those guys are working and they’re developing a bond together. I think they’ve come together really well with some new guys and young guys and guys that have been here.
“I’ve been really impressed with the veterans and how they’ve come out and practiced. We have a lot of young guys that are making strides too and I think we’ll have a lot more depth at that position.”
Scott, the Big 12 moved two of your games this season. You’ve got two more Friday night games. What is the attraction to Friday and to having those games on that platform?
“You know, I can worry about that if I want to, but I got taught a long time ago, don’t worry about things you can’t control. We can complain about game times and schedules, but it does absolutely no good.
“I love playing at night in this stadium in front of our fans. It’s always a packed house, so we’ll take as many of those as we can get, but we need to have a team that’s ready to play whether it’s on a Monday or a Friday or a Saturday, whether it’s home or away, whatever the circumstances are, we’re ready to play.
“We’re not going to make a big deal about any of that. If they put the ball down, we need to be ready to snap it.”
Coach, you have the NFL Draft coming up really soon. Several UCF hopefuls looking to get selected. Can you just talk about what stands out about those guys to you and why maybe they should get drafted and how they’ve developed here?
“Yeah, you know, personally, I’m proud of how much development and progress some of those guys made in our one year with them. You know, I didn’t have a lot of confidence when I first got here, and Malachi (Lawrence) wasn’t practicing that he was going to be projected to go where he’s going to go in the draft. He did an unbelievable job of working consistently and just continuing to get better in a year with Mike Dawson and Alex Grinch and really happy for him.
“You know, personally, I think Nyjalik (Kelly) is being undervalued a little bit because I know what he can do. Last spring, we couldn’t block him and he wrecked some practices for the offense. So I’m excited about his opportunity.
“And then Jaden (Nixon) and Paul (Rubelt) and Myles (Montgomery) and a bunch of other guys, if they get their shot, I think they’re going to have a good opportunity to make a living playing the game. And that’s what you dream about when you’re little. So I’m happy for them and excited to see where they end up.”
What do you think they’re missing in Nyjalik’s breakdown?
“You know, I mentioned this once in one interview, but I think Nyjalik, he’s young and I think he wanted to come back to school one more year and he got denied another year of eligibility. You know, Malachi left right after the last game and was training and I’m not sure Nyjalik went to work quite as fast because he was hoping to come back to UCF for another year. When he’s at his best, I know how good he can be and I don’t think he’s scratched the surface on how good he can be yet.”
What are you seeing from that wide receiver group? You’ve got, DayDay Farmer back off of injury. You’ve got a couple of returners like Waden Charles and Duane ‘Speedy’ Thomas, some newcomers too. How is that group coming together?
“Yeah, you know, we’re going to put a lot on that group and really like what we have and what I’ve seen early on in camp. We’re a little younger at that position than some others still, even though we have way more experience than we did last year. So the continued growth of that position is going to be important, but man, there’s some guys making some good plays.
“DayDay has come back completely healthy, you know, (Jonathan) Bibbs is new and he’s been doing a great job. Josh Derry came in and he’s, you know, he’s just played a ton of football and he’s smart and he’s a pro and he learned it fast and he showed up right away. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of other guys back with Speedy and Waden and others.
So Tyren Hornes as a newcomer is learning and getting better every day and there’s even more guys at that position, Caleb Rollerson and Chase (Hinshaw) has been doing a good job, his brother’s (Carson) been doing a good job.
“So I think we’re going to have more depth there than we’ve had and that’s pretty consistent across the board on our team right now.”
Coach, you lost, obviously, Nyjalik and Malachi on the D-line. How are the new guys there?
“Yeah, you know, you asked me what I’ve been impressed with. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well our D-line’s been playing. And I think the coaches, K-Mart and Dawson, did a good job in picking the right guys that we brought in to add to the team.
“We’re still missing a couple guys in that position from injuries last year, you know, since Sincere (Edwards) is not going and Bruno Dall has been out for a little bit. I’m anxious to see what he can do as a new guy. Horace (Lockett) will be back soon.
“So we’re missing some key pieces there, but man, some of the guys we brought in are making plays and just overall the effort and hustle of those groups and intensity of those groups seems like it’s up a notch from where it was.”
Coach, an NCAA committee is studying a possible NFL-style OTA model for spring camp. How do you think your team might benefit from a change like that?
“You know, it’s kind of another thing that I can’t control, so I can’t worry about too much. We’ve got to take whatever rules they give us and do the best we can with it. The one thing I will say is this isn’t the NFL. We have some 18-year-olds that should still be in high school. We have some kids that are here for the first time that haven’t played a lot of football. We have other kids that have played, but with as many new players as we’re going to have in this era of transfer portal, we need a lot of opportunity to work with them because we’re catching a lot more people up on X’s and O’s and everything else we have to teach them.
“So I just hope they give us good opportunity, and I like a traditional spring ball where it falls. If you wait until summer to be able to be on the field with kids, I think you’re wasting a lot of time with a lot of new players. So we’ll see where the rules fall, and we’ll certainly abide by them, but I’m pretty comfortable with what they have going on right now.”
Speaking of legislation, they’re talking about finally maybe doing something about the five-years eligibility, maybe make it age-based from the age of 19. I guess that would take guys out of opting out with no red shirts. Are you in favor of a blanket five years, or where do you stand on that?
“Yeah, they’ve been talking about five for a while now. There’s parts of it I don’t like. Just as a traditionalist, if guys play five years, there’s a lot of records that are going to be broken when you can only play four that you couldn’t touch.
“But with where college football is, the worst thing a coach has to deal with is a kid that plays four and then decides I’m not going to play anymore so I can get another year. And it’s hard to blame the kids for that because they can make more money and get another opportunity to play. So it’s probably the best solution in my opinion, but I’ll believe it when it happens.”
Are you going to have a scrimmage soon?
“You know, we’re talking about scrimmaging right now, and we might not have a traditional scrimmage. We might just have periods that are live. We have a lot more experienced players that have made a lot of tackles and been tackled a lot, and you’ve got to balance getting guys ready to do that in the fall with keeping everybody healthy.
“We’re taking a hard look at that right now. We’ll definitely have some live periods and opportunities to tackle to the ground, but we probably don’t need as many as we did when we had a lot of freshmen and young players that haven’t played a lot of football.”
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