Running off at the typewriter …
Scotty and the Unbeatables are getting back together.
Frosty and the Bounce House Band are reuniting.
That’s right, Scott Frost is striking up the old ensemble at UCF as we saw earlier this week when it was announced that Frost’s former UCF quarterback — the legendary McKenzie Milton — would be joining his staff as the QB coach.
Frost jokingly chastised me when I made a musical reference as I posed this question to him at his introductory news conference:
“Now that you, the lead singer, is back, would you like to get some of the old band back together as well?” I asked.
Cracked Frost with his famous biting wit: “I think that’s a bad way of putting it. I’m not great at holding a tune, and some of those other guys? You should hear them in the locker room. It’s not pretty.”
I disagree.
I think Frost, Milton, longtime ex-UCF assistant coach and former wide receiver Sean Beckton and other members of Frost’s old staff still to come will once again make beautiful music together.
To UCF fans, Frost and Milton reconnecting is like Paul McCartney and John Lennon getting the Beatles back together, but to me, it’s more like the sports equivalent of Led Zeppelin reuniting. Sure, the original members had their ups and downs after their UCF glory days — Frost with his Nebraska coaching debacle and Milton battling back from a catastrophic knee injury — but now they’re back where they belong, and it feels like magic all over again.
It’s almost as if Frost called Milton and said, “Hey, I’ve got a huge gig lined up. You in?” And Milton replied, “Let’s rock!”You can bet that every recruit who steps onto campus will hear Frost and Milton playing the hits and referencing the time UCF went 13-0 and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. They will talk about the chemistry, camaraderie and culture it takes to build a team — a real team.
Their reunion isn’t just about football; it’s about redemption. It’s about proving that you CAN go home again; that you can find your way back to the place where you were the happiest and prove that the best chapter of your story is still ahead.
UCF fans are already buzzing about this reunion. Social media was ablaze with hashtags on Tuesday, season-ticket sales and donations are surging, and alumni are undoubtedly dusting off their old 2017 “national championship” T-shirts.
This encore performance is going to be fascinating to watch just like when Zeppelin got back together.
Scott Frost is Robert Plant.
McKenzie Milton is Jimmy Page.
Are the Knights once again about to embark on another Stairway to Heaven? …
Short stuff: Spoiled Alabama fans whining about their THREE-loss team not getting an invitation to the College Football Playoff is like listening to Warren Buffett complain about not getting a senior discount. … Hard to believe the University of North Carolina has had discussions with 72-year-old Bill Belichick about its head-coaching opening. Maybe this is just another way for Belichick — who’s dating a 24-year-old former college cheerleader — to stay young at heart. I just wonder if the Hoodie would spend more time scouting players or recruiting his next girlfriend. … A Magic fan pleaded with the injured Franz Wagner to “take mine!” and offered to give The Franz his oblique muscle the other night. Hell, I might even offer Wagner my oblique muscle, but I’m not sure I still have one. … Former UCF coach Gus Malzahn signed a 3-year, $6-million contract to be FSU’s new offensive coordinator, which sounds like a whole lot of money for a coach who could never make up his mind whether or not he wanted to call plays at UCF. That said, I believe Gus will massively upgrade FSU’s abysmal offense next season. …
As a Heisman voter for years, I’ve never had a more difficult time deciding who most deserves the coveted trophy. A strong case could be made for all four of the finalists — Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Deciding among those four finalists is like trying to choose what to order from the Cheesecake Factory’s 50-page menu. If only our political system could deliver such worthy candidates! … Will the last starting quarterback to opt out of his team’s bowl game to enter the transfer portal please turn out the lights? …How ironic that on the day Scott Frost was introduced at the new head coach at UCF last Sunday that Frost’s former UCF kicker Matthew Wright clinched the AFC West title for the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs by kicking four field goals, including the 31-yard game-winner that doinked off the upright and fell through to beat the Chargers. The Wright stuff indeed. … Mikey likes: Dolphins over Texans by 3 in Upset Special, Chargers over Bucs by 5, Jets over Jags by 7, Rudolph over Frosty by a nose in the Blizzard Bowl.
Last word: A moment of silence, please, for Jeff Babineau, the former Orlando Sentinel sports writer who would go on to become one of the most respected golf scribes in the world. He passed away earlier this week at his home in Oviedo at the age of 62. Now as “Babs” strolls the eternal fairways, every drive he hits will be long and straight, every putt will roll true and every hole will be a birdie. May his memory linger like the echoes of a roaring gallery at Augusta National. RIP, Babs.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
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