Frost leaves Central Florida to coach his alma mater

LINCOLN, Neb. — Scott Frost, the native son who quarterbacked Nebraska to a share of the national championship 20 years ago, is returning to the Cornhuskers as coach after orchestrating a stunning two-year turnaround at Central Florida.

Athletic director

Bill Moos on Saturday announced the muchanticipated hire a bit later than expected, about two hours after Frost’s 12th-ranked UCF team defeated No. 16 Memphis 62-55 in two overtimes in the American Athletic Conference championship game to extend its perfect record to 12-0. Frost agreed to a seven-year, $35 million contract.

Frost’s arrival at Nebraska has been long anticipated by fans clamoring for the program to return to the so-called Nebraska Way, a culture that yielded unprecedented success from the 1960s to 1990s under Hall of Fame coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.

“It is a great honor and privilege to have the opportunity to return to Nebraska and to lead the Husker football program,” Frost said. “I have been fortunate to be at a wonderful school the last two years, but Nebraska is a special place with a storied tradition and a fan base which is second to none. I am truly humbled to be here. The state of Nebraska and the Husker program mean a great deal to me. This is home.”

The 42-year-old Frost, who will be introduced at a Sunday news conference, takes over for Mike Riley, who was fired last Saturday. Frost is faced with the task of rebuilding a program that during a 4-8 season had their most losses since 1957, their fewest wins since 1961 and saw opponents score more than 50 points four times.

Johnny Rodgers, who won the Heisman Trophy for Nebraska in 1972, welcomed the move.

“I think it’s a good deal because the whole Husker nation is pretty much behind this,” Rodgers said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “We’ve always wanted someone with Nebraska ties as far as coaching was concerned, ever since they let Frank (Solich) go.”

Frost built an impressive resume as an assistant coach at Oregon and was seen by fans as a viable candidate after Nebraska fired Bo Pelini following the 2014 season. But then-athletic director Shawn Eichorst made a surprise hire, bringing in Riley from Oregon State. The Huskers went 19-19 over his three seasons.