If coaches leave, why can’t players?

ATLANTA — Why should Scott Frost and his entire coaching staff be able to leave Central Florida after only two seasons for a better opportunity, but quarterback McKenzie Milton and his teammates are forbidden from doing the same?

This is an age-old debate in college football and it has resurfaced once again in the wake of Frost and his staff making a mass exodus for Nebraska while many of the players they recruited are left behind.

It’s no secret Milton followed Frost halfway around the world when he left his native Hawaii because he wanted to play in Frost’s offense at UCF. Now, the ongoing philosophical question is whether Milton and other UCF players should have the option to leave UCF now that Frost is gone.

When the subject was brought up to UCF players during Friday’s Peach Bowl media availability, they were thoughtful and level-headed on the topic. Milton admitted he wouldn’t be at UCF except for Frost, but said being tutored by new Coach Josh Heupel is another stage in his development as a quarterback. Playing for different coaches and learning different offenses, he said, will make him a more versatile, well-rounded quarterback.

When the subject of following Frost to Nebraska was broached, Milton all but shuts the door. “I haven’t considered anything with Nebraska or any other school,” he said. “I think it would be a crime to even consider that with the bowl game we have coming up. We’ll see how the spring goes. If things aren’t right and I don’t like it (the new coaching situation at UCF) at all — which I don’t see happening — then maybe I’ll consider other options. But I definitely think UCF is the place for me. I’ve fallen in love with the school. This has been a special ride and UCF is special place. As of now, UCF is my home.”

It is refreshing in today’s entitled world of enabled athletes to hear a group of college football players actually say they are fine with the one-sided way in which some NCAA rules are written. Mostly all you hear these days are college athletes complaining about how the NCAA exploits them for the sake of the almighty dollar.

Of course many of these complaints are legitimate. Seriously, in what other billion-dollar business are the workers (players) unpaid and, yet, are legally forbidden from leaving their jobs (unless they want to sit out a year)? Meanwhile, their bosses (the coaches) can break contracts, breach trusts and leave one multi-million-dollar job for another one without any consequences whatsoever.

Even so, UCF wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith said the transfer rule for college football players is a good one and teaches young men the value of patience.

“When Coach Frost came to UCF, none of the players knew who he was,” Smith said. “Think of what would have happened if a bunch of us had transferred then. We would have never experienced this undefeated season. I’m glad they made the rules where you can’t just leave whenever you want. You never know what the future will hold.”

Tight end Jordan Akins prudently pointed out that there would be way too much turnover on an annual basis if players were allowed to transfer willy-nilly. Think about it: How many pampered five-star recruits would quit one team and jump to another because they become disenchanted over playing time or because a mean ol’ coach yelled at them?

“Kids come in expecting to play immediately and would be up and leaving teams simply because they aren’t starting every week,” Akins said. “College football humbles you in many ways and makes you grind to earn your position. And once you’ve earned it, you feel like you’ve worked for it and you’re going to continue to work your tail off to keep it.”

Too bad college coaches don’t have to live by the same set of rules as the players. Imagine if Jimbo Fisher had to stick it out after this awful season at FSU instead of bailing for the Texas A&M job? What if Willie Taggart actually had to live up to his multi-year contract at Oregon instead of bolting after only one season to replace Fisher at FSU?

And do you think Frost would have left UCF and taken the job at Nebraska if he had to sit out a year first?

College coaches are supposed to be role models for players, but, as it turns out, UCF’s players sound like they should be role models for college coaches.