Um, that still qualifies as nowhere in my book.
Scott Frost Fired
- Status
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Sure, but those aren't rich recruiting territories. They are as isolated from major talent hotbeds as any program in the country, certainly any program regarded as a major power.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Yeah they ought to be fine. Tom Osborne's not walking through that door, but large passionate fanbases are going to do well in the NIL era.
It really is just shocking not only that Frost has failed but that he's been SO bad without even a passing blip of hope. At the end of the day that's probably more on Frost than the program. Both Bill Callahan and Mike Riley were bizarre poor fit hires and they both still had periods where it was trending in the right direction.
Campbell would be a coup for them, I think.
Agree. Campbell’s ceiling may be 8-9 wins a year but you have to start somewhere. Nebraska has had an awful past decade, maybe even worse than ours when you consider where they have fallen from. And actually mirrors our past decade a bit, albeit at a higher level:
Zook fired for going 6-6 (Ha!)
Pelini fired for going 9-3 (Ha!)
Riley - poor fit. Fired for underachieving.
Beckman - poor fit. Fired for player abuse before he could be fired for underachieving.
We have one lost season of Cubit
Frost - splashy hire with big $$ and hope. Absolutely craters.
Lovie - splashy hire with big $$ (for us) and hope. Absolutely craters.
Think BB at a minimum is a high floor guy who is on his way to getting us to respectability and where 6 wins is the expectation.
Think Campbell could do the same thing at NU but with 8-9 wins maybe as the expectation. Question is is that good enough for the NU faithful, or do they chase a more splashy hire? If I’m NU I am going for a high floor guy rather than risk another decade wandering the desert. But we will see.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I know everybody loves thinking about it in those terms, but I'm not sure I agree with just casually boxing Campbell (or anybody really) in as a "high floor, low ceiling" guy.
I think you get into trouble thinking about coaching candidates that way, because you just start indexing on different fans personality types in terms of their taste for risk and all that.
And in Campbell's case it's all based on last season which was very disappointing relative to expectations but the wheels didn't entirely fly off, okay so that's the "type" of coach Campbell is.
I think instead you ask yourself what the right profile to maximize the resources and particularities of Nebraska looks like and ask "who fits?". And a big part of that is actually interviewing and understanding the plans of the various candidates which we as fans can't know.
Also, for the record, a 9 win ceiling is a playoff ceiling where we're headed.
I think you get into trouble thinking about coaching candidates that way, because you just start indexing on different fans personality types in terms of their taste for risk and all that.
And in Campbell's case it's all based on last season which was very disappointing relative to expectations but the wheels didn't entirely fly off, okay so that's the "type" of coach Campbell is.
I think instead you ask yourself what the right profile to maximize the resources and particularities of Nebraska looks like and ask "who fits?". And a big part of that is actually interviewing and understanding the plans of the various candidates which we as fans can't know.
Also, for the record, a 9 win ceiling is a playoff ceiling where we're headed.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Nebraska:
2012 10-4
2013 9-4
2014 9-4
2015 6-7
2016 9-4
2017 4-8
2018 4-8
2019 5-7
2020 3-5
2021 3-9
Notre Dame:
2012 12-1
2013 9-4
2014 8-5
2015 10-3
2016 4-8
2017 10-3
2018 12-1
2019 11-2
2020 10-2
2021 11-2
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Nebraska's peers are Tennessee and Florida State. All national title winning superpowers in the 90's. All falling scarily far away from those heights and wondering if it's even possible to get back there.
Tennessee's big problem is the insanely high competitive bar to get back there, with the very best and most talented programs in the country in their way.
Florida State's big problem is that they're now on the outside looking in from the elite conference structure as well as behind-the-times facilities which won't be easy to build on lesser TV money.
Nebraska's big problem is that they're so far away from the players they need.
All of those issues have caused those programs to be shunned by the elite of the elite of coaching candidates, which then just perpetuates the cycle.
Tennessee's big problem is the insanely high competitive bar to get back there, with the very best and most talented programs in the country in their way.
Florida State's big problem is that they're now on the outside looking in from the elite conference structure as well as behind-the-times facilities which won't be easy to build on lesser TV money.
Nebraska's big problem is that they're so far away from the players they need.
All of those issues have caused those programs to be shunned by the elite of the elite of coaching candidates, which then just perpetuates the cycle.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
Nebraska should aspire to be Iowa. They are not a regular 9+ win program gong forward.
He just did the interim gig of his love/loyalty to OU and felt he could steady the crazy times that was. Don't think he has any interest in getting back into recruiting full time.
Thanks
Agreed on stoops not coming back but I'm sure nebby makes that call.
Yeah seems unlikely, but has some NAIA HC experience.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
XFL - no recruiting, no boosters, no NIL complicatoins, no big media microscope at all, but lots of fun and players who are looking for their next cup of coffee in the league. Probably only requires 16-20 weeks of work in there year.
NCAA - No HeHateMe. Full-time gig.
That's not a tough decision for me.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
I would doubt it. They can't afford another mediocre (at best) 4-5 years if they have any chance or regaining some relevance.
Interesting hypothetical. I don't think "a bowl" would cut it. I think he'd need to get Nebraska into the Big Ten championship game to get the full time offer. Even then, I could see the school thinking they could do better.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
I have forgotten thousands of players, but Rod Smart, a.k.a. He Hate Me, is forever etched in my brain. He lives up to his surname. Marketing genius.
The Scott Frost face plant at Nebraska is a bit of a mystery.
Makes you wonder about his time at UCF. George O’Leary basically built that program from scratch and did very well. After his first winless season there, he went 81-49 over his next 10 seasons. In 2013, they were 12-1, beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, and finished ranked 10th in the nation.
They went 9-4 and tied for another conference title in 2014. He resigned after starting 0-8 in 2015. At that point he was 69 years old, had been there for 12 years, and was pulling double duty as UCF’s interim AD.
So it’s not like Frost took over a destitute program in 2016. He was only there for 2 years. So you never got to see him fully put his stamp on the program. They’ve continued to win since, with at least 9 wins in every non-COVID year since he left.
Makes you wonder about his time at UCF. George O’Leary basically built that program from scratch and did very well. After his first winless season there, he went 81-49 over his next 10 seasons. In 2013, they were 12-1, beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, and finished ranked 10th in the nation.
They went 9-4 and tied for another conference title in 2014. He resigned after starting 0-8 in 2015. At that point he was 69 years old, had been there for 12 years, and was pulling double duty as UCF’s interim AD.
So it’s not like Frost took over a destitute program in 2016. He was only there for 2 years. So you never got to see him fully put his stamp on the program. They’ve continued to win since, with at least 9 wins in every non-COVID year since he left.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
All of that's true, but I think people over-fit their analysis when they start digging through the entrails of a coach's extremely successful previous tenure for secret clues of why he failed at his next stop as if he was a bad coach hiding in plain sight all along.
It just hasn't worked and that stage has always seemed a little too big for him as the hometown savior of the greatest program ever.
For better or worse I think the idea that Nebraska thinks they deserve every coach begging them to come there isn't true anymore. They're desperate and they know it.
And giving Joseph a shot was surely part of the rationale for this early firing. Trading one former Husker QB for another.
Joseph is no joke as a recruiter and as WR coach at LSU coached up perhaps the best unit in the history of the sport. If they suddenly don't look like a team that's trying to find a way to lose anymore I'm sure he can make a case for himself.
Yeah in retrospect his resume was lacking as a HC. Kinds think enrolling at the Saban Institute for Rehabiliation of Failed Coaches probably lands him another HC gig in 5 years, though kinda feels like most of his former assistants are borderline swindlers.
I was thinking more in terms of fan base and NIL money. They recruit nationally and have consistently attracted top 15 to 35 classes even when they are mediocre to bad on the field.
There are several husker fans who are hating the idea of Matt Campbell coming to Lincoln and want to set their sites higher. I get the bloom is a bit off the MC rose but he would easily be an upgrade right now.
Nebraska dream list (from USC playbook)
- steal Kirby Smart from GA
-steal Dabo from Clemson
-steal Ryan Day from Ohio State
Realistically
- check if Fickelll from Cincinnati is interested
- check if Mark Stoops from KY is interested
- check if Mike Gundy OKstate is interested since T Boone Pickens is gone
Then make offers
- Kiffin Missisipi State
- Aranda Baylor
-Clawson Wake Forest
- steal Kirby Smart from GA
-steal Dabo from Clemson
-steal Ryan Day from Ohio State
Realistically
- check if Fickelll from Cincinnati is interested
- check if Mark Stoops from KY is interested
- check if Mike Gundy OKstate is interested since T Boone Pickens is gone
Then make offers
- Kiffin Missisipi State
- Aranda Baylor
-Clawson Wake Forest
- Status