Thoughts on the Nebraska job

[Steveelement]

Their fanbase is insane, and it sounds like everyone wants to run Frost out of Lincoln ASAP. I think Scott Frost could be gone if he loses his next big ten game.

What are your thoughts on the Nebraska job? It seems like an impossible situation for anyone to walk into.

 

[Eurocat]

I like how they kicked Bo Pellinni out of town because of "poor character" and now on their message boards they are talking up Urban Meyer, Hugh Freeze, Tom Herrman and I even saw one guy mention Art Briles Sr.

 

[NUCat320]

We’ll hear Fitz’s name floated for this one soon. Lincoln doesn’t want to throw 60 percent of the time.

He won’t be interested, but somebody will report that Lincoln is.

 

[Alan Smithee]

Their fanbase is insane, and it sounds like everyone wants to run Frost out of Lincoln ASAP. I think Scott Frost could be gone if he loses his next big ten game.

What are your thoughts on the Nebraska job? It seems like an impossible situation for anyone to walk into.

Their fanbase is insane, and it sounds like everyone wants to run Frost out of Lincoln ASAP. I think Scott Frost could be gone if he loses his next big ten game.

What are your thoughts on the Nebraska job? It seems like an impossible situation for anyone to walk into.

Hard pass. First of all, I’d be a horrifically bad football coach. More importantly, no way I’m living in Nebraska.

 

[Sheffielder]

With the transfer portal no job is impossible, but Nebraska longs for the glory days of the mid-90s and it just doesn't seem likely...like how they think bringing more fans to away games will get them the win, bless their hearts.

 

[zeek55]

With the transfer portal no job is impossible, but Nebraska longs for the glory days of the mid-90s and it just doesn't seem likely...like how they think bringing more fans to away games will get them the win, bless their hearts.

I think the total failure of the Frost era will help whoever comes next.

Fan expectations in Nebraska should have been lowered substantially for what constitutes success. There are a lot of fans that just want a return to the Pelini era where they were averaging 9-10 wins.

When Pelini was fired, Nebraska fans still by and large thought that 12 win seasons/national championships was a level that was still possible there.

I think reality has set in that the bar for success has to be lowered substantially from that kind of level to the point where they're just at least beating the West teams more often than not.

 

[Jaguar 88]

The Michigan fans in Ann Arbor were/are just as delusional.

 

[JournCat]

People care about Nebraska football, it’s in one of the two super conferences, and their boosters will spend or do almost anything short of full-on SEC depravity. And now you have Scott Frost resetting expectations to an all-time low. It’s a really good job. Why wouldn’t Matt Campbell or another established coach take it?

 

[zeek55]

People care about Nebraska football, it’s in one of the two super conferences, and their boosters will spend or do almost anything short of full-on SEC depravity. And now you have Scott Frost resetting expectations to an all-time low. It’s a really good job. Why wouldn’t Matt Campbell or another established coach take it?

Yeah the Frost debacle gives the next coach a lot of leeway and time to rebuild. Also takes away the notion of some favorite son out there that could always come back later as a replacement: like Miami and Cristobal or Smart and Georgia or what we saw with Harbaugh and Michigan as well as Frost and Nebraska.

 

[Arlcatsfan]

This is a case of be careful what you wish for you just might get.Nebraska got rid of Solich and Pelini and got their golden boy in Frost who did a great job at UCF but since coming to Nebraska has been over his head.They have a lot of things going for them in Lincoln a large and engaged fan base,the only game in town,an administration that caters to the football program,so if they decide to move on from Frost they probably will get some good coaches to look at them.The problem for Nebby is there is a lot more competition out there when say a Tom Osborne was coaching.Frosty’s seat is hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July and Alberts won’t wait too long to make a change if they struggle through a favorable schedule.

 

[SpiroCAT]

Kinda feel a little sorry for Frost. He seems to be snake bit since getting to Lincoln. Honestly, before the game when the media were talking about how many new coaches and transfers from the portal came in during the off-season, I was wondering if we might upset them. I think Frost has worked very hard to quickly increase the talent on the roster. However, he has seen a lot of players leave season to season, some voluntarily, some told they won't have much of a role. With this much turnover, I think the thing missing for Nebby is a unifying culture. Who are they? How do players they recruit fit that culture? How do they create family atmosphere with commitment to each other with this much turnover? Clearly, the pressure to win is influencing this race to improve roster talent, but I think unifying culture may be the missing link for them.
Also, the number of offers they put out every year seems to be such a shotgun approach. How does a recruit know that Nebby really values them individually and what they bring to the roster?

 

[MotownMedilldo]

Yeah the Frost debacle gives the next coach a lot of leeway and time to rebuild. Also takes away the notion of some favorite son out there that could always come back later as a replacement: like Miami and Cristobal or Smart and Georgia or what we saw with Harbaugh and Michigan as well as Frost and Nebraska.

Which is why we should be thankful our favorite son has worked out so well. Imagine if Fitz had never improved upon his first-year record in 2006. That's essentially what's happened in Lincoln during the Frost era.

 

[zeek55]

Which is why we should be thankful our favorite son has worked out so well. Imagine if Fitz had never improved upon his first-year record in 2006. That's essentially what's happened in Lincoln during the Frost era.

Yeah 1000%.

This past 2 decades has been a time of stability, building, and winning at a time of mass upheaval in college athletics.

Things were so uncertain around the time that Fitz started: we had attendance woes, were decades behind on facilities, still hadn't won a bowl game.

All this as mass realignment was ongoing and about to start hitting the Big Ten. And now NIL and professionalization of the sport loom.

Our big boosters starting from the Ryans on down as well as Schapiro and Phillips made a strong commitment to building the AD up to this point, but without Fitz at the helm of the football program, things would be a lot less certain.

Taking us from 10 years of success to nearing 30 is a critical change to the brand of the program. We don't need to be a football factory, but we're no longer seen as a dreg of the sport like Kansas. The Dark Ages are in the distant past and by the time Fitz's career is done will be the ancient past.

And with Fitz in place, it's had a halo effect for the whole AD, we've already raised and spent $400+ million on the main facility, basketball arena, and the other facilities along with potentially another $400 million upcoming on the football stadium.

And all of that while the football program has improved to the point where expectations are reasonably high around here after winning the division twice and 5 quality bowl wins under Fitz along with plenty of weeks ranked and ranked finishes.

A lot of people involved in getting us to this point, but we now have an AD that's at the quality of a Power 2 league like what the Big Ten will be when USC and UCLA get here.

And Fitz still is motivated to do a lot more here.

 

[Arlcatsfan]

Kinda feel a little sorry for Frost. He seems to be snake bit since getting to Lincoln. Honestly, before the game when the media were talking about how many new coaches and transfers from the portal came in during the off-season, I was wondering if we might upset them. I think Frost has worked very hard to quickly increase the talent on the roster. However, he has seen a lot of players leave season to season, some voluntarily, some told they won't have much of a role. With this much turnover, I think the thing missing for Nebby is a unifying culture. Who are they? How do players they recruit fit that culture? How do they create family atmosphere with commitment to each other with this much turnover? Clearly, the pressure to win is influencing this race to improve roster talent, but I think unifying culture may be the missing link for them.
Also, the number of offers they put out every year seems to be such a shotgun approach. How does a recruit know that Nebby really values them individually and what they bring to the roster?

This is Frost's fifty year at Nebraska.He should know by now what culture he should want on his team.He has played for two of the greatest coaches Bill Walsh at Stanford then Tom Osborne in Lincoln.He should have learned from those two how to do things.What has really killed his tenure so far is his record in one score games.His teams were not disciplined and screwed up enough not to win.So maybe he is just not a good coach his record at UCF notwithstanding.That being said I just shake my head when people get on this board and want Fitz fired.He knows our culture at NU.He took over in a very difficult time after RW 's passing and in two years we wre going to bowl games.He has the highest integrity in a professional that is not known for that.Thank goodness he is running our program.

 

[kaTNap]

I like how they kicked Bo Pellinni out of town because of "poor character" and now on their message boards they are talking up Urban Meyer, Hugh Freeze, Tom Herrman and I even saw one guy mention Art Briles Sr.

Pelini was dumped because he was caught on video basically cursing out the fanbase, which is a pretty bad look for a head coach.

Nebraska, historically, has never hesitated to ditch character in favor of winning. Anyone from that part of the world can tell you the stories about players whose brushes with the law were magically swept under the carpet in the Devaney / Osborne years, etc.

 

[NUCat320]

Kinda feel a little sorry for Frost. He seems to be snake bit since getting to Lincoln. Honestly, before the game when the media were talking about how many new coaches and transfers from the portal came in during the off-season, I was wondering if we might upset them. I think Frost has worked very hard to quickly increase the talent on the roster. However, he has seen a lot of players leave season to season, some voluntarily, some told they won't have much of a role. With this much turnover, I think the thing missing for Nebby is a unifying culture. Who are they? How do players they recruit fit that culture? How do they create family atmosphere with commitment to each other with this much turnover? Clearly, the pressure to win is influencing this race to improve roster talent, but I think unifying culture may be the missing link for them.
Also, the number of offers they put out every year seems to be such a shotgun approach. How does a recruit know that Nebby really values them individually and what they bring to the roster?

Frost is a bad leader. He does not exude confidence. He does not interact with his players. On every change of possession, he was buried in his card and jabbering into his headset — and he doesn’t even call plays.

His players aren’t playing for him, because he’s not coaching for them.

While Fitz’s way is not the only way, there’s a reason NU wins close games and Lincoln loses them.

This also comes from culture and, you’re right, Frost has no idea what he wants. What does it communicate that a QB comes into a program in January, and is given the starting job without a doubt? Contrast to NU who (not the greatest example, because HuJo wasn’t good) made an incoming five-star from Clemson compete with, and lose to, a walk-on.

On the basketball board, we’ve talked about NU’s luck rating — a KenPom stat of W/L record vs underlying talent. When a team ranks in the bottom 30 in the nation 3 straight years, as NU has, it’s not luck. Lincoln under Frost is the same way.

 

[HappyNUyear]

Since Osborne who was 255-49-3

*Solich 1998-2003 was fired with a record of 58-19
*Callahan 2004-2007 was fired with a record of 27-22
*Bo Pelini 2003 interim for Alamo, then was there as HC 2008-2014 was fired with a record of 67-27
*Cotton 2014 interim for Holiday with record of 0-1
*Riley 2015-2017 was fired with a record of 19-19

Hard to follow a legend and yes, many Husker fans want Frost gone yesterday. I believe they’ve been through just as many AD’s too?

 

[HappyNUyear]

*Solich won 1999 National Championship, 1999 Big 12-North & Big 12 Championship.
*Callahan won 2006 Big 12-Norh
*Pellini won 2008-10 Big 12-North & 2012 B1G Legends

 

[jimmyNU]

I can tell you that easily 90% of the Nebraska fans in Dublin want Frost fired.

 

[MotownMedilldo]

Taking us from 10 years of success to nearing 30 is a critical change to the brand of the program. We don't need to be a football factory, but we're no longer seen as a dreg of the sport like Kansas. The Dark Ages are in the distant past and by the time Fitz's career is done will be the ancient past.

And all of that while the football program has improved to the point where expectations are reasonably high around here after winning the division twice and 5 quality bowl wins under Fitz along with plenty of weeks ranked and ranked finishes.

Wanted to highlight these two points you made well. Barnett alluded to this during a Zoom webinar featuring him and DA moderated by Adam Rittenberg that the Phoenix alumni club hosted last year. He basically said, "Northwestern doesn't need to try to be Michigan or Ohio State. It can succeed by focusing on what it does well. There are enough academically-minded football players out there." It was at this point that he dropped that he took the Northwestern job mainly because Bill McCartney told him head coaching opportunities don't come often and that his daughter Courtney really wanted to go to NU.

To your second point, think of some of the micro effects within the program. If Skoronski is a first-rounder, it's the start of a mini-tradition at LT. That puts a good kind of pressure on the next player up at the position. Same thing with Newsome shouting out Cam Mitchell and Mitchell saying he tells Greg he's better than him all the time. That's players taking pride and ownership in the program and it is so cool to see.

 

[corbi296]

I think they are going to have a very hard time filling that job,, particularly if they think they can attract a big name coach solely with money. I don't think they will be able to. The college football landscape has changed and meeting the delusional expectations of the fan base by restoring the program to its glory years of 30 years ago is almost impossible in my opinion. Their in state HS talent pool is non existent and today's kids from the recruiting hot bed states don't dream of playing their college ball in Nebraska for a variety of reasons. I also think the NIL environment makes it even more challenging for them because a lot more programs now have access to the financial resources that are sometimes necessary to attract that big time talent. Given all this, hiring a guy like Urban Meyer is a pipe dream because his ego's need to win is much more of a consideration than further padding his pocketbook. A guy I think could do a good job for them and is probably a good cultural fit is Brett Bielema but I doubt they would consider him and I am not sure he would even take it given the experience he had abandoning Wisconsin for what he thought were greener pastures of Arkansas and the SEC. That did not work out for him.

 

[Sheffielder]

People care about Nebraska football, it’s in one of the two super conferences, and their boosters will spend or do almost anything short of full-on SEC depravity. And now you have Scott Frost resetting expectations to an all-time low. It’s a really good job. Why wouldn’t Matt Campbell or another established coach take it?

Why WOULD Matt Campbell take it? He's literally making millions in Ames with a fanbase who supports him with realistic expectations. What reason would he have to think he could do a better job than Frost, who came back to Lincoln with a ton of goodwill and equity and all the confidence in the world after leading UCF to the whatever bowl.

And that's what makes Neb a BAD job. The fanbase, and laughable expectations. When you have a group that obsesses over fake sellouts and will travel to the depths of hell to watch their team play and wear that as a badge of honor like it should give them extra points at the start of the game, even though they haven't caught a whiff of any version of a championship in a decade...no thanks. Their best bet is to hire up from the MAC and hope they get lucky.

 

[zeek55]

I think they are going to have a very hard time filling that job,, particularly if they think they can attract a big name coach solely with money. I don't think they will be able to. The college football landscape has changed and meeting the delusional expectations of the fan base by restoring the program to its glory years of 30 years ago is almost impossible in my opinion. Their in state HS talent pool is non existent and today's kids from the recruiting hot bed states don't dream of playing their college ball in Nebraska for a variety of reasons. I also think the NIL environment makes it even more challenging for them because a lot more programs now have access to the financial resources that are sometimes necessary to attract that big time talent. Given all this, hiring a guy like Urban Meyer is a pipe dream because his ego's need to win is much more of a consideration than further padding his pocketbook. A guy I think could do a good job for them and is probably a good cultural fit is Brett Bielema but I doubt they would consider him and I am not sure he would even take it given the experience he had abandoning Wisconsin for what he thought were greener pastures of Arkansas and the SEC. That did not work out for him.

Yeah other thing I'd add is just that everyone pays well.

Fitz earns around $6 million a year now. Financially, nobody can offer such a difference that it's worth leaving a situation like this.

Everybody can pay $4+ million at the Power 5 level. For a guy like Bielema, the expectations are so low at Illinois that he can just take them to bowls every few years and they'll keep him for 10+ years while paying him a competitive salary. Why would Stoops over at Kentucky or Campbell at Iowa State leave those positions where they're set for life there as long as they're producing bowl seasons regularly. Nobody expects them to win the conference or division or go to the playoff. Their fans just want respectability.

Expectations at Nebraska are somewhat more realistic now post-Frost, but still not at the level where it's an easy job. Next coach will get a couple years to get them back to bowling level, but then the fans there will start asking for Big Ten championship game berths and 10+ win seasons.

 

[stpaulcat]

This thread makes me think NU wasn't very good to have beaten Nebraska. But they were, and they did. Okay, the on-side kick, but they did some other things pretty darn well. Maybe it isn't that Frost is that bad, it's that others are better. That happens in life.

 

[NUCat320]

They should hire Matt Entz from NDSU, or Chris Klieman from K-State, who was Entz’s predecessor (and successor to Craig Bohl, who has not sustained success at Wyoming).

 

[zeek55]

This thread makes me think NU wasn't very good to have beaten Nebraska. But they were, and they did. Okay, the on-side kick, but they did some other things pretty darn well. Maybe it isn't that Frost is that bad, it's that others are better. That happens in life.

I don't think it's like that, but we did have an edge on coaching/decision making. Fitz was absolutely the better HC in Dublin.

Of course the fact that we were flat out superior in the trenches, Hilinski was the better QB, Porter/Hull were the better RB combo, etc. all of that matters more than anything else.

I think most of us have much higher expectations for this season after that game.

 

[Arlcatsfan]

Be yourself and don't try to be something you are not.We will never be a football factory.The academic standards at NU make it that way.Nothing wrong with that.How selective NU is in handing out scholarships how we are a developmental program.This is what makes NU special.Add in success in having winning seasons and having players go high in the NFL draft and I say that is pretty good.And having a HC who played and went to NU he knows what NU is all about.Two thumbs-up on that.

 

[corbi296]

They should hire Matt Entz from NDSU, or Chris Klieman from K-State, who was Entz’s predecessor (and successor to Craig Bohl, who has not sustained success at Wyoming).

The fan base would not be happy with any of those guys because it would be an acknowledgement Nebraska is not among the elite programs in college football and can no longer attract a coach with an elite pedigree.

 

[SmellyCat]

I agree with this last post. They think they deserve Urban Meyer because they're an elite brand, but it's been so long since they were truly elite, and as a whole have not adjusted their expectations yet.

Getting a coach from a great program like NDSU (I don't know much about Entz, but that team wins) would be a real boon for Nebraska in my opinion, and something we should worry about. But if they're just going to go for names, they'll either get none or will get one past his prime who would be lucky to go 8-4.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

So Northwestern has the ball to open the 3rd quarter, leading 17-14... Nebraska's defense forces a punt after giving up 16 yards. The Nebraska offense goes 88 yards, with a big (lucky) play and a pass interference call to take a 21-17 lead. Northwestern gets the ball, Cam Porter runs 21 yards but tries to run over a defensive back and fumbles. Nebraska takes possession at midfield and scores a TD on another big play to go up 28-17.

And Frost calls for an onside kick, believing that Northwestern is reeling and that he can deliver the knockout blow IF Nebraska recovers the kick.

Essentially Frost is looking at two outcomes...
Nebraska recovers --- this is like kicking deep and forcing a 3 and out and a punt to midfield.
Northwestern recovers --- this is like kicking deep and having Northwestern run it back 60 yards.

The 2nd outcome is much more likely than the first...

In addition, the onside kick is disrespectful and guaranteed to fire up Northwestern, whether the gamble succeeds or fails.

Bad coaches do that - make bad risk/reward decisions and get their opponent to play with passion.

Nebraska fans seem to understand this.

 

[villox]

The fan base would not be happy with any of those guys because it would be an acknowledgement Nebraska is not among the elite programs in college football and can no longer attract a coach with an elite pedigree.

Remember Mike Riley? Lol.

 

[NUCat320]

The fan base would not be happy with any of those guys because it would be an acknowledgement Nebraska is not among the elite programs in college football and can no longer attract a coach with an elite pedigree.

I know. But the fanbase is stupid. Their administration has to be smarter.

(I forgot that Mike Riley happened.)

 

[HappyNUyear]

Remember Mike Riley? Lol.

Yep and he was 19-19 overall

 

[HappyNUyear]

I know. But the fanbase is stupid. Their administration has to be smarter.

(I forgot that Mike Riley happened.)

They've been through as many AD's since Osborne retired coaching, including Osborne as Interim AD

 

[NUCat320]

They've been through as many AD's since Osborne retired coaching, including Osborne as Interim AD

Bill Moos: is that a name or a sentence?

 

[stpaulcat]

Bill Moos: is that a name or a sentence?

All you need is a subject and a verb.

Although it's typically pronounced moose.

 

[Eurocat]

Solich has to go 52 and 0 now just to match Pellini's Win Loss Record.

 

[HappyNUyear]

Nebraska AD's

*Bill Byrne 1992-2002
*Steve Pederson 2003-2007
*Tom Osborne 2007-2013 (Originally hired as Interim AD)
*Shawn Eichorst 2013-2017
*Bill Moos 2017-2021
*Trev Alberts 2021-?

 

[Eurocat]

Our big boosters starting from the Ryans on down as well as Schapiro and Phillips made a strong commitment to building the AD up to this point, but without Fitz at the helm of the football program, things would be a lot less certain.

I adore Morty, thank God he was chosen, but let's not forget -

The Wildcats' Best Fan: Northwestern Magazine - Northwestern University

www.northwestern.edu

 

[eastbaycat99]

. He basically said, "Northwestern doesn't need to try to be Michigan or Ohio State. It can succeed by focusing on what it does well. There are enough academically-minded football players out there." It was at this point that he dropped that he took the Northwestern job mainly because Bill McCartney told him head coaching opportunities don't come often and that his daughter Courtney really wanted to go to NU.

I really like this point. In the banter from Nebraska trolls last week, one recurring claim the Husker trolls made was that because of their great tradition, that they are a “big time” program, they could always out-recruit NU, and for Cat fans to think the team could realistically compete was laughable. I think that unless Nebraska hires away Saban from Alabama or someone equivalent to him, NU has a better chance of landing really good players (1st round picks) than Nebraska does. Nebraska is competing against Alabama, Georgia, OSU, Oregon, Auburn, Texas, TAMU, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, PSU and Clemson as well as two dozen other SEC, B1G and other Power 5 teams for most top flight recruits. Northwestern is realistically competing against Stanford, Notre Dame, and maybe Michigan and Cal for those really good players who do want the combination of academic excellence as well as football. I think a great example of a player like that was Andrew Luck. At the time, he was down to NU and Stanford for the reasons just cited and, understandably chose Stanford. Given the same choice today, my guess would be that he would choose NU.
The combination of Fitz, administration commitment and the basic excellence of Northwestern academics has made the football team consistently more competitive for success (and for recruiting and developing players who become 1st round picks) than a former power like Nebraska, something I never would have thought. The only kind of person who could be successful at Nebraska at this point would be either a Saban stature coach who could recruit on his name, or a young, ambitious second coming of Urban Meyer, which is what they thought they had in Frost. My guess is they go all in on a big name hire, with a record breaking salary after they fire Frost. We will see. There are very few coaches like that, and the only motivation to take the job would be more money than any coach has ever made.