As UCF began preparations for its much-anticipated contest with North Carolina and six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick on Saturday, the Knights did so under somber conditions.
Offensive line coach Shawn Clark remains hospitalized and in stable condition after suffering a medical emergency last Wednesday.
“I can’t say enough good about him,” a somber coach Scott Frost said during Monday’s news conference. “You enjoy this sport and you want to do it with people you like and care about. There aren’t many people I’ve been around who I enjoy being around as much as Coach Clark. He’s not just a great coach, but a really good man.”
Clark, 50, is in his first season with the Knights, having been hired by Frost in January.
The West Virginia native previously served as head coach at his alma mater, Appalachian State, from 2020 to 2024 after being promoted from offensive line coach with the Mountaineers. Before his time in North Carolina, Clark served as the offensive line coach at Kent State (2013-15), Purdue (2009-12), and Eastern Kentucky (2003-08).
Frost indicated that while Clark is recovering, the team will look to bring in a veteran coach to help out. In the meantime, Alex Farah, who has been helping out with the unit, will step up to fill the void.
“Alex Farah was his hand-picked assistant and he’s been with us this whole time and knows the scheme and has a good rapport with the kids,” Frost said.
Farah, who serves as an offensive quality control coach, previously coached at Appalachian State, where Clark was an assistant coach and later served as the head coach from 2020 to 2024. The North Carolina native also coached at Independence Community College in Kansas, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
TV, kickoff time set for UCF’s home game vs. Bill Belichick and North Carolina
“It’s been hard on the staff and hard on the kids, particularly the offensive lineman, but we need to fight for him,” Frost added.
Frost plans to meet with the offensive linemen on Monday to discuss the situation further, but the weight of the situation is clearly visible on UCF’s head coach.
“The best way we can show respect to him is to go out and practice and play as hard as we can,” Frost said. “Things like this put football in perspective. Football … we love it and it’s what we do and we spend a lot of time at it, but bigger things are happening in life and the best way to honor Coach [Clark] is to go do our best.”
There has been no timetable for Clark’s return.
“We’re praying for him, just praying for him as a team and he’s praying and hoping that he gets better and that he gets healthy enough to come back and just be around us,” cornerback Antione Jackson said.
“We’re always thinking about him. I spoke with many of the offensive linemen, and they’re going to keep praying for him. They miss him, but you’ve just got to keep playing,” added receiver Duane Thomas Jr.
Several current and former coaches shared their thoughts and prayers for Clark and his family, including former North Carolina coach Mack Brown and current Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz.
Frost praised his team’s leadership as they dealt with this challenging situation.
“[Running back] Myles [Montgomery] has been an unbelievable leader for us,” Frost said. “We have other good leaders on the team. They’re learning to be leaders. I think in the meantime, the coaching staff had to take that on quite a bit. But anytime it comes from the locker room, it’s even stronger, and I think that’s getting better every week, too.”
Find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
