Scott Frost will not be coming to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Atleast, not yet. All signs are pointing towards the current RB coach, Tim Beck, taking over as offensive coordinator for the Huskers.
If you read my article the other day, you know this news disappoints me.
However, my opinions on the matter were somewhat biased as a fan. As in, I’m such a big Nebraska fan and such a huge Scott Frost fan, that of course I’d love to see them combined as a force once again.
But, along came a more objective take on the situation via Steven Sipple (Lincoln Journal Star writer) on Huskerextra.com. This was a very enjoyable article to read, countering my take from the other day. I’m going to share some parts of it that I found interesting and let you know of my opinion along the way.
Here goes….
"The 36-year-old Frost has a desire to call plays. However, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini appears set to hand play-calling duties to Tim Beck, who just completed his third year as NU’s running backs coach. That would make sense. Bo and Beck share a strong bond and mutual respect. They both graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio, two years apart. Bo’s big on trust and familiarity. He gets both in Beck."
It sounds as if the attraction to return home wasn’t enough to justify a lateral move to a program that is probably a notch below where he is currently at. I addressed this in my article, and said I would offer him the offensive coordinator position, but….
"Beck, 44, called plays in 1998 at Missouri State and was the passing-game coordinator in 2007 for a Kansas team that finished 12-1. Frost, on the other hand, has never called plays on offense."
Beck’s tenure at KU is very noteworthy. The Jayhawks immensely overachieved that season, and were never quite the same after his departure.
"It goes something like this: Imagine the clamor and excitement throughout the state if Frost was hired at Nebraska, even as a co-coordinator who wasn’t calling plays. However, as a Husker co-coordinator/assistant who’s not calling plays, Frost likely would’ve found himself in awkward situations. What if the offense was sputtering? Because of his exalted status in the state, media and fans would’ve turned to him for answers."
Now this is some forward thinking! A potential problem that would arise from the situation, which is both reasonable and logical. Is it enough to convince me that Frost wouldn’t have been a good choice to join the staff? Mmm nope.
"If he was in constant demand with the media, how would’ve older and more experienced staff members reacted? Egos easily could’ve been bruised. Staff chemistry always must be a consideration."
Another good potential problem. However, we’re bordering on focusing on too many worst case scenarios. With any new situation, there are potential pitfalls, but with a strong foundation surrounding the coaches, which I believe Nebraska has, I don’t think this would’ve too likely.
"No question, Frost would have been a popular hire. But would he have been the right hire at the right time?"
I say yes. And I would argue that Steven Sipple would say yes. Although, I can see that we didn’t think he was ready to take over control of the entire offense, and he wasn’t ready to take a lateral move like so. Plus I admit, that we all may be blinded by just how cool it would be to hire Frost. But….
Damn it would’ve been awesome to hire Scott Frost!