Scott Frost claims he has moved on, yet he keeps circling back.
The UCF head coach went viral on Tuesday afternoon at Big 12 Media Days for remarks about his alma mater, the University of Nebraska.
Here’s the quote that drew all of the attention:
“I didn’t want to leave UCF,” Frost told The Athletic. “I always said I would never leave unless it was some place you could go and potentially win a national championship. I got tugged in a direction to go try to help my alma mater, and I didn’t really want to do it. It wasn’t a good move. I’m lucky to get back to a place where I was a lot happier.”
For those that don’t know, I live in Nebraska, and have for the past 16 years of my life. Living in Nebraska, it’s almost impossible to escape the noise of Husker football. I’m not a Husker fan (far from it, actually) but have followed the program closely, oftentimes to fuel my arguments with Husker fanatic friends.
I feel both equally compelled and qualified to write about Scott Frost. I’ve been perhaps his harshest critic. In 2021, I wrote about the fleeting nature of success (or lack thereof) late in Frost’s tenure. Later that year, I wrote about Husker fans losing faith in Frost. More recently, I asked the question: What did Nebraska do to God?, about Frost and Rhule’s Husker teams finding uniquely painful ways to lose football games.
Since Frost’s comments earlier this week, I’ve had a lot of time to think. About how Husker fans must feel hearing Frost say that about their beloved program. About how Frost might feel about letting down so many people who believed in him. And about whether his comments were mid-July fodder or something more.
From where I sit, Frost’s comments weren’t a throwaway. He said what he said with his whole chest.
It’s clear that Scott Frost is still hurting. Will he ever get the chance to heal?
The Scorned Lover
On one hand, I can fully understand why Scott Frost feels deeply hurt by the program he once loved.
Remember, the Frost hire was lauded back in 2018. He was fresh off an undefeated season with UCF and was the hottest coach on the college football market. Even with him being an alum, it was seen as a coup that the Huskers pryed Frost out of Orlando.
When Frost arrived in Lincoln, he spoke confidently about how he and his staff would bring Nebraska back to glory. In his first Big 10 Media Days, he said things like:
“We’re going to be really dangerous and hard to beat in the very near future.”
“We’ll see how this first year goes. But people better get us now, because we’re going to keep getting better.”
He even tugged on the heartstrings of the people living in Nebraska.
“ … The program used to reflect the people of the state. Nebraska’s best asset is its people. Has unbelievable people that are hardworking, blue-collar people that are going to care about each other. That’s what we’re trying to get back to in our program, and that’s the way that we’re going to build it to try to make it have sustained success.”
What followed was a calamitous, heart-wrenching and awfully unfortunate 4+ years at the helm of the Husker football program.
On the field, Nebraska went just 16-31 under Frost, failing to reach a bowl game. The offenses just never clicked. The defenses couldn’t make up for the offensive deficiencies. And special teams performances were a particular breed of incompetent and poorly run. Nebraska lost 22 one-score games under Frost, including 12 games by five or fewer points.
Off the field, Frost endured numerous speculative “distractions” that I will not expand on here. If you know, you know.
After a crushing, upset loss at home to Georgia Southern, Frost took the podium for what would be the final time as Nebraska’s head coach. During the five-minute-and-change presser, Frost sounded like a man who had run out of answers. He closed the press conference, pleading with the media, saying:
“I love this state and this program. And I’m fighting with everything I have…I know there’s questions and negativity out there, but the fans I see at those things and the fans staying (until the end)…it’s unbelievable.”
This was a quote coming from a man who had reached his breaking point.
For what it’s worth, I’m not sure Frost ever felt truly comfortable in Lincoln. Perhaps it was the heavy weight of expectations. Or perhaps he fell back into some bad habits while surrounded by old pals.
Despite being labeled the “prodigal son” and so many people calling Frost to Nebraska a slam-dunk hire, it just never worked.
Whether he’s willing to admit it or not, I’m sure there’s at least a part of Frost that will always harbor a deep-rooted regret for how the whole thing played out.
Selective Memory
On the other hand, I think Frost’s most recent comments are an indication that he’s suffering from some sort of selective memory. And for that reason, I cannot fault Husker fans for being utterly outraged at how Frost is handling himself post-breakup.
For all of the things Frost tried to do right, he made a hell of a lot of mistakes along the way.
Frost failed as a leader. I do not think that he conducted himself the right way at the University of Nebraska. Without going into specific detail, I think Frost could’ve handled himself better with the media, within the white lines and off the field.
Frost failed as a coach. He went just 16-31 in Lincoln and failed to reach a bowl game. His teams often looked utterly incompetent and crumbled down the stretch of numerous close games. Those things are a direct reflection of the head coach.
And now, when he has the chance to talk about how excited he is about his current team and his current players, he instead opted to take a shot at his former employer. And as you can imagine, that did not go over well with Nebraska fans or local media.
The Omaha World-Herald published stories about how Frost is completely unaccountable, and how both Nebraska and Frost are “bitter” and how both parties should move on.
Former OWH Husker columnist Dirk Chatelein said this about the matter:
With Frost’s latest comments, I believe he showed the emotional immaturity of a deeply hurt man, who cannot, and has not, gotten over his previous relationship.
Deep down inside, there’s probably a part of him who is, and will always be, that boy from Wood River, Nebraska, who worshipped Tom Osborne and so desperately wanted to follow in his footsteps and make him proud.
Whether he wants to admit it or not, I’m willing to bet both jealousy and regret swirl within him when he thinks about what could’ve been and how things are now. By and large, I think Husker fans have moved on. If they hadn’t before this week, these comments probably pushed them over the edge.
At this point, there’s no reconciliation coming for either side. I suppose that’s just the nature of the business.
So which one is it? Is Scott Frost a scorned lover, showcasing selective memory or something in between? I think he’s a deeply hurt man. I’ll let you decide where that falls on the scale.
Roman Stoic and playwright Pubilius Syrus once said this about the pain associated with something you once loved.
“The wounds of love can only be healed by the one who made them.”
Unfortunately for Frost, that kind of closure doesn’t sound likely anytime soon.
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