UCF football coach Scott Frost declined to offer any declarative statements Monday about his future as evidence gathers that he is set to accept the open position at Nebraska, his alma mater.
"I'd be hurt if Nebraska wasn't interested in me," Frost said during a news conference to preview UCF's upcoming appearance in the AAC title game. "We're undefeated. I'm from there. When you win a lot, people are interested in you."
Sources told ESPN's Mark Schlabach that Frost met with Florida officials more than a week ago to discuss the Gators' vacancy, but he declined to meet again this past weekend to advance those talks. Florida officials were convinced Frost was taking the Nebraska job, so they offered their opening to Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, who was named the Gators' new coach Sunday.
Frost was asked during a teleconference earlier Monday to confirm that he would return to UCF in 2018.
"I'm just not going to talk about it," Frost said. "All I want to talk about is this football team."
He later reiterated that his team deserves the attention.
"I can't tell you how much I care about these players," he said. "And that's been true in my past. It's going to be true every year that I'm coaching. And our entire staff is that way. These guys are special. They deserve my best. I've said that all year. They deserve our coaching staff's best."
Frost also acknowledged that a decision is upcoming.
"Every year in college football, there's tough decisions to make," Frost said. "And those kind of things happen. And when the time's right, we'll make them. I know it would be really hard to leave this team because of how much love I have for this group of guys and how much effort they've given us.
"So all I'm going to do is go back to my office and watch more film. This shouldn't be about me. I know the questions are going to come, but these guys have earned the right to have the conversation be about them."
The Cornhuskers fired coach Mike Riley on Saturday after the conclusion of a 4-8 season in his third year at the school.
Frost, 42, played quarterback at Nebraska in 1996 and 1997, winning a share of the national title as a senior.
In his second season at UCF this fall, the Knights are 11-0 and ranked No. 15 ahead of the conference championship game Saturday in Orlando against Memphis.