Nebraska football: Scott Frost taking page from Big 12 legend

Nebraska football coach Scott Frost has been compared to Tom Osborne quite a bit. He’s taking a page from another Big 12 legend as he rebuilds the Huskers.

When  Scott Frost took over the Nebraska football program, it’s clear one of the things he decided quickly was that the team needed an infusion of talent.

Since taking over the helm, he’s made comments about the cupboard being far from bare. At the same time. he took an interesting approach to rebuilding after the Huskers went 4-8 in 2017.

While Frost has been compared to the man that was his head coach in Tom Osborne, his approach is more closely mirroring another Big 12 coaching legend.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Football

Bill Snyder came into Manhattan, Kansas and turned around a program that was historically moribund. He turned the program as quickly as he did because he brought in a heaping helping of JUCO players.

Like Frost, Snyder relied on his classes to have some very talented JUCO players, but he also brought in some high school talent. By doing this, he built a program that could win in year one, and was set up win more in later years.

Yes, Tom Osborne certainly brought in JUCO players as well. Heisman winner Mike Rozier cut his teeth in the junior college ranks.

There were few seasons in which Osborne was looking to restock with three junior college players in one class. There’s also no guarantee that there will only be three JUCO players in Frost’s 2018 class when all is said and done.

For whatever reason (and there are many stories on what those reasons are) Mike Riley was loathe to recruit from the JUCO ranks while he was here. Had he done so, he might still be here.

When you are bringing in the players at the talent level of what Frost has brought in, you’re talking about players that can contribute right away. All three JUCO players coming to the Nebraska football team in 2018 could indeed compete for starting roles right out of the gate.