Jacurri Brown doesn't lack confidence. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback believes he can be one of the best in college football—and now he's working to make that vision a reality.

"I know I'm the best in the nation. That's how I feel," Brown said. "But I just got to go show that to you guys and everybody else."

As UCF prepares for a pivotal preseason quarterback competition, Brown is one of three contenders vying for the starting job under new head coach Scott Frost. Unlike transfer additions Tayven Jackson (Indiana) and Cam Fancher (FAU), Brown is the only one who played at UCF last fall, starting two games to mixed results.

Frost says Brown has come a long way since last season.

"Jacurri made huge strides," Frost said. "From what I saw on tape right when I got here to where he is now, it's completely different. A guy like that, I wish I would have had a chance to coach for four years, but you see the improvement now. I gotta compliment him too just on who he is as a person and his leadership and influence amongst the team is really good. So there's definitely a place for him here, and we'll see how everything works out."