Nebraska football fans think they have their man in Scott Frost, but it’s not a done deal just yet.
While the Nebraska football team likely has its next head coach in Scott Frost, there is still the chance he’ll stay at UCF. While Cornhuskers’ fans would likely be angry at first that the prodigal son isn’t coming home, there are plenty of good options out there that might actually end up just as good or better.
There are Husker fans who believe that the only man that can turn the program around is someone with deep ties to it. The fact is there are coaches at universities all over the country that didn’t have any ties to the team before they were hired.
While there are good coaches still on the market, the Huskers’ athletic department would have to get creative at this point. One of the drawbacks of assuming we’ve got our man is that other teams have been working overtime.
Coaches like Mike Leach and Matt Campbell are off the board. Leach, especially seemed like a nice backup plan because he had worked under Bill Moos before. Now he’s apparently close to moving to Tennessee.
Matt Campbell would have been a decent hire because he’s had success everywhere he’s gone, even Iowa State. He recently signed an extension.
So who could the Nebraska football team turn to if Scott Frost isn’t in play anymore either? There are still a handful of really good coaches out there. The Huskers will just need to think outside the box.
Nebraska football could do worse than Kevin Sumlin.
While Kevin Sumlin is one of those names that Nebraska football fans have heard mentioned before, he’s never been one people has gotten real excited about.
To some degree, the lack of excitement over Sumlin is hard to understand. The Cornhuskers have never been able to hire someone who has been an unqualified success at his previous stops. While he was recently fired by Texas A&M, that seemed to be more about unreal expectations than poor performance.
Sumlin has posted a winning record every year he’s been with the Aggies. Between the SEC school and Houston, he’s got a career record of 86-43. Mike Riley’s career record pales in comparison.
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Sumlin had quite a bit lined up against him when he took over in College Station. Chief among those obstacles is that his school was simply not among the big boys when it came to recruiting or exposure in his conference.
A&M was a newbie to the SEC when Sumlin took over. There are still plenty of people around who think of the Aggies as members of the Big 12.
Sumlin has been mentioned for a number of jobs. Some of them have reportedly have him lined up as a direct competitor with Scott Frost.
Sumlin isn’t a name that is going to get Nebraska football fans fired up. He’s a bit of a retread at this point. He might also be the most dependable name still on the market.
Nebraska football could go with a hot young coach like Mike Norvell.
If the Nebraska football team can’t get Scott Frost, how about the next best thing? That next best thing might just be Memphis coach Mike Norvell. Both he and Frost have been with their respective teams for two years and both were considered hot offensive coordinators before getting their current jobs.
In terms of lifetime records, Norvell has a slight edge as he went 8-5 in his first season with the Memphis Tigers and is 10-1 this year. That’s compared to Frost’s 6-7 record his first season at UCF.
The big difference is that Memphis wasn’t in as dire of straights when Norvell took over. That, of course, would be the big strike against the Tigers’ coach.
While we have at least seen Frost take a team from 0-12 to 11-0, Memphis has been pretty good the last few years. Norvell has taken the team to the next level, but it’s hard to know whether he can sustain that level of success.
Norvell’s immediate predecessor is the one that got Memphis back on the winning track. That’s a massive strike in this candidate’s resume. At the same time, he’s managed to take what he was handed and continuing the winning ways.
If the Nebraska football team is looking to hire a home run coach other than Scott Frost. There is another name that Norvell himself would likely endorse.
Nebraska football could dip into the ACC for its next coach in Justin Fuente.
When it comes to who the Nebraska football team should hire, there are those who wanted Chip Kelly. The though process behind this was, why take the student in Scott Frost when you can get the teacher in Chip Kelly.
Those who wanted Frost responded that they wanted him because he’s younger and has the Cornhuskers in his background. The adage definitely applies when it comes to Mike Norvell and Justin Fuente.
Fuente took over Memphis when they were as bad as they’ve ever been. His first two seasons with the Tigers he went 7-17. His next two years he went 19-6. He was then hired away by Virginia Tech and has turned that program around as well.
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Since Frank Beamer’s final years and his departure, the Hokies had fallen on hard times. In Fuente’s first two years at Virginia Tech he’s gone 19-7.
Some Cornhusker fans are likely wondering why in the world anyone would think they could pull him away from Virginia Tech. While Fuente has a good thing going, there’s very little doubt the financial support and facilities at Nebraska are better.
It would likely take a big contract offer from the Nebraska football program, but it can be argued he’s done a better job, with a longer resume than Scott Frost has managed so far.
Nebraska football thinking outside the box could mean looking to the Sun Belt and Blake Anderson.
It’s a safe bet that if the Nebraska football team lands on Blake Anderson, then things have gone wrong. Really, really wrong.
At the same time, if the Huskers did have to hire Anderson, they might find a diamond in the rough. He’s managed to keep Arkansas State near the top of the Sun Belt during his career.
In four seasons, Anderson has gone 31-18 so far. He’s got a big game coming up on December 2 against Troy. Should he win that contest he would win the Sun Belt.
Even if he loses, Anderson has guaranteed his team will be heading to a seventh straight bowl game. Yes, he’s taken what Gus Malzahn built, but he appears to be able to keep that rolling.
Anderson also has the distinct honor of bringing a Sun Belt conference team into Lincoln and almost knocking off the Huskers. There are bound to be some Cornhusker fans who say it doesn’t count because it was against Mike Riley but the fact of the matter is he almost took down one of the big boys.
An added bonus for Anderson is that he runs a spread offense, one the Nebraska football fanbase would like to see some version of it come to Lincoln. Gus Malzahn isn’t available. Anderson would be a nice consolation prize.
Nebraska football could go get the most colorful coach in college football today.
Yes, it appears Tennessee has beaten the Nebraska football team to the punch. Mike Leach has had talks with the Volunteers.
Talks doesn’t mean a contract. Especially when you’re talking about Mike Leach.
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Is it possible Leach has been holding out for the Huskers’ job all along? That’s probably a stretch.
It is possible Leach saw the mess that is the Tennessee job and decided he could stay at Washington State. If Bill Moos came calling would Leach decide the same thing?
The job Leach has done as a head coach can’t be undersold. While he never made Texas Tech a superpower, he made them fun to watch.
It can be argued his best coaching job has come at Washington State, under Bill Moos. He took over a football program that was truly moribund. He’s made them feared in the Pac 12.
Moos and Leach are purported to have quite a bit of mutual respect for one another. If the Huskers’ new athletic director came calling, is there really any doubt that Mike Leach wouldn’t feel a pull?
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The added bonus is that Mike Leach understands Nebraska football having coached against them for so long. He might not have lived in Lincoln, but other than Scott Frost, he might have the most direct ties to the Husker program.