As November wore on and it became more and more evident that the Huskers likely had to make a coaching change, Nebraska fans heard from plenty of national pundits that the coaching job in Lincoln wasn’t what it once was, that it wasn’t as easy to win there as other past and present football hotbeds.
New Nebraska coach Scott Frost hinted at those sentiments in an interview Thursday with CBS Sports Radio host Jim Rome while also acknowledging the unique tug of home that played a part in his arrival in Lincoln.
“A lot of people might’ve made different decisions, I don’t know,” Frost said. “But I know this, winning at Nebraska happened every single year for 30 years. The success that Nebraska had for 30 years through the Devaney and Osborne eras and into the Solich era, there wasn’t a university in the country that could match the success that they had. I’ve been frustrated at times. There was probably people running the show down in Lincoln that maybe didn’t understand Nebraska, that maybe weren’t good fits.
“This is a good fit. I think the time is right. I looking forward to getting the players in Lincoln. We had the No. 1 offense in the country at UCF. We get the pieces at Nebraska we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to build a program that the people of Nebraska and people around the country can be proud of and admire.”
Frost said the right things publicly in his introductory press conference as it pertained to previous athletic leadership at Nebraska. “I wasn’t considered for this job last time it came open, and I’m glad I wasn’t,” he said. “I didn’t get a phone call the last time this job was open and I’m glad I didn’t.”
What is left unsaid there is why Frost was “glad” he didn’t get a longer look from then-Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst when the Nebraska job was open after the 2014 season and Frost was still an offensive coordinator at Oregon. Privately I’ve heard from more than one source that Frost was disappointed he didn’t get at least a call to gauge his interest.
But what’s clear now is that not getting a look in 2014 and the timing for a return home may have played out perfectly for Frost, who said Tom Osborne played a key role in helping vet the status of the program.
“I really like the leadership on campus,” Frost said on the show. “I really like Bill Moos as the new athletic director. I think there’s finally going to be a process started where we remove obstacles to success instead of creating them, where everybody’s pulling in the same direction, where everybody has the same purpose and understands their role with what we’re trying to get done. If all those things hadn’t come together like they did, I might not have looked at the job, but I think the time is right to see a renaissance in Lincoln, Nebraska.”
You can listen to the full interview below.
Brandon is the Managing Editor for Hail Varsity and has covered Nebraska athletics for the magazine and web since 2012, Hail Varsity’s first season on the scene. His sports writing has also been featured by Fox Sports, The Guardian and CBS Sports.
