Nebraska offensive coordinator Matt Lubick may be looking elsewhere after his one year with the Huskers. Lubick, according to multiple reports, is one of the potential candidates being considered for Montana State’s open head coaching position.
Montana State just lost its head coach, Jeff Choate, to Texas where he joined Steve Sarkisian’s staff as the new linebackers coach. Choate gradually improved the Bobcats over four seasons, going 4-7, 5-6, 8-5 and 11-4, making the FCS semifinals in 2014. He was reportedly a finalist for the recent head coach opening at Boise State, which eventually went to Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.
Choate made a little more than $200,000 as Montana State’s head coach, which is less than half of what Lubick made at Nebraska for the same season as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Lubick signed a two-year contract worth $500,000 per year in early 2020.
Lubick has connections to Montana State personally. While he played for Montana Western, his dad, Sonny, worked at Montana State. That included both as an assistant and then as head coach from 1978-1981. Reports: Nebraska OC Matt Lubick a Candidate at Montana State and Other Coaching UpdatesIt’s also of note that Bo Moos, the son of Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos, is an associated athletic director at Montana State.
Frost recently told local outlets that Lubick took on a greater share of the Huskers’ play-calling duties over Nebraska’s final four game––which included losses to Iowa and Minnesota and wins over Purdue and Rutgers––and that he hoped to continue the new play-calling split in 2021. Nebraska averaged 25 points per game over the second half of the season and 20 points per game over the first half
In addition to the reports on Lubick, another name from Scott Frost’s staff surfaced this week in consideration for another role elsewhere. According to Georgia’s 247Sports site, defensive backs coach Travis Fisher was on head coach Kirby Smart’s radar. He even surfaced as one of two names the Bulldogs’ were strongly considering before the role ultimately went to Jahmile Addae, the defensive backs coach at West Virginia over the past two seasons.
Addae replaces Charlton Warren, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Indiana. Interestingly enough, Warren once served as Nebraska’s defensive backs coach for one season in 2014.
It’s also worth noting that Central Florida’s head coaching position is open at this time. Tennessee hired the Knights’ athletic director, Danny White, earlier this month. After conducting a search that was rumored to include names like Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliot, the Vols announced Josh Heupel as the new head coach on Wednesday. White previously hired Heupel to replace Frost following the 2017 season.
While there are no current reports tying anyone on Nebraska’s to UCF, it’s worth keeping an eye on as things develop. The Knights will need to hire an AD first, but a few Husker coaches––Fisher and tight ends coach Sean Beckton, two of NU’s top recruiters––have ties to the UCF program.
