Scott Frost by no means needed to educate at Nebraska.
He had to educate at Nebraska.
And possibly, in an odd method, that’s why he failed past comprehension.
Frost’s departure from UCF after the euphoric, historic undefeated season in 2017 to return to his house state and coach at his alma mater is a cautionary story — a narrative of turning a dream season right into a soccer nightmare outlined by burdens, calls for and unrelenting expectations.
“There was plenty of stress [to take the Nebraska job],” mentioned Frost final weekend when he returned to UCF as head coach. “It was arduous for me to go away UCF. It was emotional. , if you’re climbing the ladder of success in life, generally they overlook to let you know to cease if you’re completely happy.”
Leaving UCF in 2017 to take the job at his alma mater was not his want; it was his obligation. He grew up in Nebraska and quarterbacked the Cornhuskers to a nationwide title in 1997. His legendary former coach Tom Osborne, his former teammates and his household all urged him to return house to avoid wasting a sinking program.
It was like again within the day when Bear Bryant was requested why he left a nationwide championship-contending crew at Texas A&M to take over a beleaguered program at his alma mater, the College of Alabama.
“Mama referred to as,” Bryant replied. “And when Mama calls, you simply have to return runnin’.”
However from the day Frost got here runnin’ at Lincoln, there have been indications he was sad. Tom Shatel, the longtime columnist of the Omaha World-Herald who lined Frost as a Nebraska participant and coach, recollects Frost’s introductory information convention at Nebraska.
“He didn’t smile rather a lot,” Shatel says now. “All people else was smiling; all people else was high-fiving. And he was simply very businesslike. After which on the finish of the press convention, he was nearly threatening to the Nebraska media, saying we’d higher not ever discuss to his household or he would lower us off.”
Juxtapose that notion of a paranoid Frost with the one we noticed at his introductory information convention when he returned to UCF final Sunday and smiled and joked and talked proudly about his spouse and household and with the ability to increase his children within the Metropolis Lovely.
In hindsight, Frost seemingly by no means felt comfy within the fishbowl that’s Nebraska soccer. Though he was again in his house state, it was nearly as if he have been a stranger in his personal home. He was carrying the load of a whole state on his shoulders; making an attempt to return the dormant Nebraska program to a previous that not existed. His roots have been in Nebraska, however his coronary heart was nonetheless again in Orlando.
“Scott talked about Orlando prefer it was the best place on earth,” Shatel says. “He all the time had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face when he talked about Orlando. I by no means noticed that when he talked about Nebraska. … We by no means noticed that pleasure [he had at UCF]. … I simply received the concept that he was by no means fairly all in [as the coach of Nebraska]. … He was anointed. … If he had turned down Nebraska, the individuals right here would have been disillusioned, harm and offended. He needed to take the job.”
Frost’s inaugural recreation at Nebraska to open the 2018 season was an omen. Extreme lightning, torrential rain and 70-mph winds despatched the frenzied sellout crowd of 90,000 at Memorial Stadium scampering for canopy. It might be the primary weather-induced cancellation of a recreation in Nebraska historical past.
The storm finally subsided, however the darkish clouds hovered over Frost’s tenure at Nebraska. In his 5 years, he by no means had a profitable season and completed with a dismal 16-31 file — the worst for a Nebraska coach in 60 years.
For no matter purpose, Frost may by no means fairly recover from the hump. His ultimate 3 losses at Nebraska all got here by single digits. All 9 losses in his final full season have been by single digits — probably the most by a school program since 1936. The Cornhuskers have been 4-21 in video games determined by seven factors or fewer underneath Frost.
In hindsight, there have been many theories as to why he failed. Was it that his Oregon/UCF type of unfold offense by no means actually labored within the chilly climate of Nebraska? Was it that he did not recruit Joe Burrow — who grew up a Nebraska fan — when Burrow was leaving Ohio State, needed to switch to Nebraska and in the end ended up at LSU (Frost had what gave the impression to be an up-and-coming true freshman quarterback in Adrian Martinez on the time)?
Extra possible, I consider, it’s as a result of Nebraska won’t ever be Nebraska once more. When it appeared Mike Riley was on the verge of being fired at Nebraska whereas Frost’s pyrotechnic UCF offense was main the nation in scoring, I wrote within the Sentinel: “Aside from Nebraska being his alma mater, why would Frost even wish to coach the Cornhuskers? Nebraska is solely not this system it as soon as was when Tom Osborne and Osborne’s legendary predecessor — Bob Devaney — have been stalking the sidelines and steamrolling the competitors with their I-formation and triple-option offenses. Frost’s greatest profession transfer can be to remain at UCF.”
There’s a purpose Nebraska has not received a convention championship in a quarter-century. Underneath Osborne and Devaney, the ’Husker offensive line battered, brutalized and bludgeoned opponents into submission. However school soccer has modified to a recreation of velocity and talent fairly than a recreation of brute pressure. And in contrast to different cold-weather powers like Ohio State and Penn State, Nebraska isn’t in the midst of a fertile recruiting space. As a result of the Cornhuskers have been irrelevant for therefore lengthy, bigtime recruits merely take a look at Nebraska as an icy outpost in an remoted location; a frozen, forgotten nook of the school soccer panorama.
However now Frost magically is again within the heat and glow of a spot he realizes now he by no means ought to have left.
“My spouse and I can put down roots right here and lift our three youngsters in a spot that we like to reside,” Frost says. “I’m grateful to be right here.”
In different phrases, house is just not the place your delivery certificates says it’s; it’s the place your coronary heart tells you it’s.
He was born within the Cornhusker State.
He was born once more within the Florida sunshine.
Nebraska will all the time be the place Scott Frost is from.
UCF is the place he belongs.
Electronic mail me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (previously Twitter) @BianchiWrites and hearken to my Open Mike radio present each weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/pay attention
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