On Saturday, Nebraska announced that Scott Frost would become the school’s next football coach. After weeks of speculation about whether or not he would end up taking the job, new Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos got his man.
Now that Frost is in place, what about his current UCF assistant coaches? It’s expected that a fair amount of them will come to Nebraska with him, especially given many of them have Nebraska ties. Let’s take a look at his assistants.
Defensive Coordinator Eric Chinander
The 37-year old, second-year defensive coordinator is a near-lock to join Frost’s new staff at Nebraska. The two spent time together at Oregon and Chinander helped the Knights lead the AAC in five defensive statistical categories last season.
Offensive Coordinator Troy Walters
The former Stanford wide receiver standout has been one of Frost’s right-hand men while at UCF. He has primarily been a wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator throughout his coaching career. Walters could be in line for the UCF job and may be pursued by other schools as a head coach. He has been named the interim UCF head coach.
Associate Head Coach/LB/Special Teams Jovan Dewitt
Dewitt spent time with Frost at Northern Iowa. Dewitt is a bright guy that could have worked at NASA and decided to pursue coaching. He would be a tremendous asset either as an on-field coach or on the recruiting staff.
Offensive Line Greg Austin
Austin is another near-lock for the new staff. Austin worked with Frost at Oregon and was an assistant offensive line coach under Chip Kelly for the Eagles. He also played offensive guard for Nebraska from 2003 to 2006.
Defensive Line Mike Dawson
Dawson was hired onto Frost’s UCF staff on the recommendation of Kelly. Dawson worked two years on Kelly’s staff with the Eagles and has coached defensive line and linebackers his entire coaching career.
Running Backs Ryan Held
Held has a fascinating background in football. He was a teammate of Frost’s at Nebraska and served as a graduate assistant coach in 1997 at Nebraska. He has been a JUCO head coach and has deep ties in that area to this day. He’s known as an ace recruiter and also a good running backs coach. Expect him to be on Nebraska’s staff.
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator Sean Beckton
Beckton was one of the few holdovers from the previous UCF staff that Frost kept on when he took the job. He is in the UCF Hall of Fame and was a star wide receiver for the Knights from 1987-1990.
Defensive Backs Travis Fisher
Fisher player cornerback for the Knights and has been a coach at the school twice. He was also held over from the previous staff when Scott Frost took the job two years ago. He also spent five years in the NFL.
Quarterbacks Mario Verduzco
Verduzco is hailed as one of the top quarterback coaches in the country. He has ties to Bill Walsh and coached with Frost at Northern Iowa. It’s a safe bet to assume you will see Verduzco in Lincoln with Frost as he is instrumental in helping developing quarterbacks for their system.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
