Players and coaches develop special bonds in college football. Ask just about any head coach and he’ll tell you that forming relationships is one of the reasons they love their profession.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost showed just how strong that bond can be recently.

Toward the end of the season, UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton — who Frost coached during his time in Orlando — suffered a devastating leg injury. He had to undergo immediate knee surgery and will have to undergo another operation in the future. It was one of the ugliest injuries of the season.

In an interview with Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, Frost opened up about his relationship with his former quarterback and how he felt following Milton’s gruesome injury.

“First and foremost, KZ and his family have been in my thoughts and prayers since I found out what happened,” Frost said in an email. “KZ is like a son to me. I would do anything for him. To see someone that you love go through pain like that is just gut-wrenching.

“An Injury like he went through is a reminder of how quickly things in life can be taken from you, and that (so) much is beyond your control. I know that KZ is a man of faith, and that faith will help pull him through this tough period.”

Milton has engineered UCF’s offenses the last two seasons and has been a key cog in leading the Knights to back-to-back undefeated seasons, including the 2017 run with Frost at the helm. For a second straight year, UCF will play in a New Year’s Six bowl game with a chance to prove to the world they belong in the national conversation.

Even though Frost has moved on professionally, he still has emotional ties with UCF, and they run pretty strong with Milton.