Not surprisingly, unbeaten Central Florida snatched up some significant hardware as its conference doled out its postseason awards Wednesday.
UCF’s Scott Frost was named as the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year by a unanimous vote of his fellow league coaches. Frost, who is widely expected to accept the job at his alma mater Nebraska not long after Saturday conference title game, has directed the Knights to a perfect 11-0 regular season in his second year at the school.
Frost’s quarterback, McKenzie Melton, was chosen as the AAC’s Offensive Player of the Year. In his breakout sophomore campaign, McKenzie currently sits second nationally in pass efficiency, behind only Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. He’s thrown 30 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 320 pass attempts, while also adding five touchdowns on the ground.
Houston’s Ed Oliver, a finalist for both the Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy, earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year honors. The sophomore is the first Cougar to win the award.
Memphis running back Tony Pollard was named Special Teams Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while Tigers teammate and cornerback TJ Carter was chosen as Rookie of the Year.