When you’ve coached for nearly five decades, it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually face someone who once worked under you—or even suited up as one of your players.
That will be the case Saturday when UNC football heads to Orlando to take on UCF.
The Knights are led by Scott Frost, now in his first season of a second stint guiding the program. Before entering coaching, Frost enjoyed a playing career that began with three seasons in the NFL as a member of the New York Jets from 1998–2000.
During that stretch, Frost’s time in East Rutherford overlapped with Bill Belichick, who served as the Jets’ defensive coordinator for two of those seasons.
This weekend, the two cross paths again—this time on opposite sidelines—each looking to hand the other a loss.
Asked about coaching against one of his former players, Belichick offered strong praise for Frost and the UCF program:
“They have a lot of talented players. They’re very well coached. Scott and I go back. Hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since we were with the Jets. He played quarterback at Nebraska, and we brought him in as a defensive back. Really smart, tough, big kid—whether at quarterback or safety. He had a great feel for the game on offense, defense, and special teams. He’s carried that over as a coach, both at UCF and Nebraska. I’ve got a ton of respect for Scott and the program he’s built down there.”
Saturday will mark a unique milestone for Belichick and Frost, as it’s the first time he’ll face a former player during his early years in the college game. Belichick’s coaching tree has long spread throughout the NFL, making annual matchups against former assistants almost routine. But now, he’ll experience that connection at the college level, going head-to-head with one of his own.
The respect between the two is evident as UNC readies for its first-ever meeting with UCF—a matchup that carries both history and familiarity on the sidelines.
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