The American Athletic Conference championship game hadn’t even reached the end of regulation when the rumblings began to surface. UCF head coach Scott Frost had long been expected to be the next head coach at Nebraska, but late in the fourth quarter with UCF tangling with Memphis to keep its New Years Six bowl hopes and undefeated season intact came the reports of Frost’s impending departure from Orlando to Lincoln.
Brett McMurphy was among the first to report the inevitable news, via Twitter. Per McMurphy, Frost agreed to become the next Nebraska coach on a seven-year contract valued at $35 million. It’s not Jimbo-Fisher-at-Texas-A&M money, but then again, what is? Regardless, it was a great deal for Frost and one well worth the price for Nebraska.
Source: Scott Frost has agreed to 7-year, $35 million deal with Nebraska, but in days leading up today’s AAC title game was still having some “serious cold feet & remorse.” @LarsAnderson71 previously reported contract figures
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 2, 2017
Frost oversaw a dramatic turnaround at UCF by inheriting a team that went a full season without a win and turning it into a team that hasn’t lost a game this season. UCF’s wild double overtime 62-55 victory over high-powered Memphis in the AAC Championship Game closed the books on a 12-0 season as the Knights prepare for their bowl game, which will likely be the Peach Bowl against an at-large power-conference team. UCF could take on a one-loss Alabama, the SEC Championship Game loser, or a team from the Big Ten, be it Wisconsin or Penn State. Whatever the matchup may be, the Bulls will likely have to tackle it without Frost.
Nebraska hiring Frost has to be one of the most obvious coaching hires we will see this season, with Dan Mullen to Florida worth your consideration as well. Frost was born in Nebraska. He played at Nebraska, going 24-2 after transferring from Stanford. His coaching career began at Nebraska as a graduate assistant. Now, after getting his feet wet as a head coach at UCF, it is time for Frost to come home, where Nebraska fans will be rolling out all the red carpets.
Frost will have some work to do in Lincoln, as turning things around at Nebraska may not be quite as easy as it was at UCF, but Frost gives Nebraska a head coach who understands the program the way no other coach has since Tom Osborne. And he will have to get to work quickly.
The new early signing period in recruitment makes it imperative for a new coach to get to work at his new job right away. Most coaches leave their former jobs when they accept a new job anyway, but now there is even more reason to get a coaching hire out of the way and done with so new coaches can work the recruiting pipeline as much as possible with the hope of locking in some early signees. With the kind of buzz surrounding Frost right now, that should not be much of a problem at Nebraska.
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