After being a fixture at UCF, Beckton settled in at Nebraska

There's arguably not a person on this earth that has been affiliated with Central Florida longer than Sean Beckton.

The Daytona Beach, Fla. native has been tied to UCF since playing there from 1987 to 1990, along with coaching there from different stretches spanning from 1992 to 2017. He's even a member of the UCF Hall of Fame.

That's why when Beckton chose to follow Scott Frost to Nebraska back in December, many tied to the Knights program were surprised.

However, Beckton said the impact Frost had on him the last two years was enough to convince him to break his 30-plus year relationship with UCF.

“The biggest thing is the entire staff,” Beckton said. “Coach (Scott) Frost, what he did for what I called my program at UCF. I've played there and helped really build that program over the years. He asked me to come up here, and I didn't take that lightly. Obviously, my fans and down at UCF they wanted me to stay. The biggest thing is, I wanted to be a part of something special here and really help Coach Frost, really change the culture up here in Nebraska. I decided to return the favor that he did for my program down at UCF.”

Beckton joked his first encounter with Frost didn't come at UCF when they began coaching together in 2015.

When Nebraska played UCF in 1997 at Memorial Stadium, Frost was the starting quarterback and Beckton a young receivers coach.

It was arguably the turning point in Frost's career after he was booed in the game because the Huskers were trailing the little known Knights at halftime. NU went on to win 38-24 after training 17-14 at halftime. The second half set the table for the following week's 27-14 win at No. 2 Washington, which put Nebraska in a position to capture the 1997 national championship.

"The first time I've met him we talked about that,” Beckton said of the 1997 game in Lincoln. “I've met him on the recruiting field when he was in Orlando. He was down trying to get a quarterback in Orlando. We are actually on same the field. He was working for Oregon at that time. I went up to him I said, ‘I was a receivers coach, and we played you guys back at 97.’ He looked at me and kind of cringed a little bit. He said, ‘Yes, that was a tough day for me.’ First time I met him, I brought that up to him.”

What Beckton also remembers about that day was the atmosphere in Memorial Stadium, and how the Knights were treated in defeat.

That memory stuck with him for 20 years, and his loyalty to Frost, along with the opportunity they have at NU both played a factor in getting him to leave Orlando.

"This place was a special place when we came, and we were leading Nebraska at the half," Beckton said. "We came off the field, and we basically got a standing ovation. Then at the end of the game, we obviously lost it but just the fans just coming up to us and treating us like we had basically won the game. I know the fans and the atmosphere is unbelievable here and I'm excited about getting going.”

Beckton's pay nearly doubled leaving UCF to Nebraska, but he was quick to point out his move to Lincoln wasn't financially driven. UCF very much wanted to keep him, but Beckton saw something in Frost that drew him to a place he's only been one time before.

“UCF tried to come back with a package that was very comparable, but sometimes you got to make a change in life,” Beckton said. “For me, it was a situation where I just felt that I need to move with this group of coaches. The benefits, you do not see them now, but I know down the road, you will see them all come back to roost.”