LINCOLN, Neb. — Scott Frost has not won enough games at Nebraska. He knows that. Athletic director Trev Alberts knows that. Everybody in Nebraska knows that.
While a 15-27 record in four years would be enough to get a coach fired at nearly any big-time program in America, Nebraska prides itself on not being like everyone else.
That much was clear again last Saturday, as the Cornhuskers prepared to play their fourth top-10 team this season. In the hours before the game, one fan after the next expressed their desire to see Frost return for a fifth season despite the losing record.
“He’s a national championship quarterback, he’s a Nebraska guy, just like Jim Harbaugh over there at Michigan,” said Darron Mapes, wearing an “In Frost We Trust” hat as he stood near the Tom Osborne statue just outside Memorial Stadium. “It just takes time to get the people in there, and the right culture, and the players. I just don’t know who else would be Nebraska. Frost is Nebraska.”
Inside the stadium, Jay Lamontagne brought his 4-year-old son, Cayden, to his first Nebraska game. They sat just behind the end zone, with Cayden holding up a sign that read, “Win this one for FROST.”
“He needs more time,” Jay Lamontagne said. “You give him another couple years and he’s going to figure it out. He’s figured it out everywhere else he’s gone his entire life. It’s not going to change now.”
On the field, Nebraska did enough to raise hopes against Ohio State, the way the Huskers have done in every game this season. But several of the same issues came up again — special teams mistakes, questionable playcalling and an inability to get any rhythm on offense — and the result was the same.
Another close loss.
Nebraska has lost all seven of its games by single digits, worst in FBS, and there are two ways to look at those results. Either look at it the way Frost does — he reiterated postgame that Nebraska was close, the way that he has in nearly every other heartbreaking loss.
“I hate losing more than anybody in that locker room,” Frost said. “Man, I love being the coach here. I love these kids. They’ve battled through a lot. This is going to pop at Nebraska. It just is. We’re doing too many good things right.”
“Man, I love being the coach here. I love these kids. They’ve battled through a lot. This is going to pop at Nebraska. It just is. We’re doing too many good things right.”
Scott Frost
Or look at it the way some frustrated Nebraska fans do: Frost has had four years with little to show for it. Zero bowl appearances. The same mistakes over and over. Why expect anything different as long as he is in charge?
Alberts noted in his statement Monday he has seen “incremental progress,” one contributing factor to the decision to bring Frost back. The truth is, it has been apparent since the Nebraska job opened in 2017 that Frost would be given what he needed to get the program competing for championships again.
His success at UCF, going 13-0 in 2017, only put the cherry on top of what made him the best choice — a Nebraska native, a Nebraska graduate, a Nebraska national champion, a disciple of Osborne. Frost knew at some point during that UCF season he would get a phone call from Osborne. He knew how difficult it would be to win at Nebraska — far more difficult than when he played there thanks to a shifting collegiate landscape and conference realignment to boot.
He also knew there was no way he could turn it down.
Nebraska has invested in Frost, but more than that, it is emotionally tied to doing everything possible to make this hire work. While those inside the administration and fan base had grown weary of firing coaches every three years, only to start over again in a deeper financial hole because of large buyouts, this hire would be the ultimate litmus test for its faltering program.
Because if the perfect fit to take over Nebraska failed, what would that mean for the Nebraska program itself?
Frost knew the team he inherited needed major work, and he knew it would take some time to build a consistent winner. But he also learned tough lessons along the way, lessons that he must apply into Year 5. The offense he ran at UCF is simply not going to work in the Big Ten.
Though there has been a shift in offensive philosophy recently, more must be done to get Nebraska playing at a level it needs to in a division that is dominated by teams that have a proven way to win. It goes without saying that firing four offensive assistants Monday — including offensive coordinator Matt Lubick — was expected as part of a long-needed overhaul.
That is something Alberts mentioned in a sit-down interview with ESPN last month.
“Scott has evolved,” Alberts said. “There’s things that he’s doing today that are more reflective of the reality in the Big Ten. It doesn’t take long to go through the Big Ten and say, ‘The way Iowa plays, they limit the possessions, they shorten the game.’ I think he has adapted, I think that’s part of what makes the Big Ten strong. It holds you accountable toward success because there’s a certain formula that’s inherent in Big Ten success.
“The hardest part about the Big Ten is because everybody has resources, everybody’s committed — Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern — the problem, which has made our mistakes so glaring, is that the margins are so narrow that turnovers, field position, hidden yardage get exacerbated. I’m at practice all the time. There’s an intense focus on those areas with Scott and his staff and we’re making progress, but perhaps that wasn’t necessarily the culture that came from UCF because it’s different there. It’s wide open, we’re scoring every fourth play. These are some of the best college football coaches in America right here in the Big Ten. That’s who Scott and his staff are dealing with.”
Frost ran the spread offense at Oregon and then at UCF, but there are option principles that allow the run game to function at a high level. Nebraska does not need to go all in on the triple option, but it needs to find a way to build a dominant offensive line with a dual-threat quarterback who can be more effective than current starter Adrian Martinez.
In many ways, Frost’s fortunes have been tied to Martinez. Frost put everything into making Martinez into a success. Martinez has played through multiple injuries this season — including a broken jaw — and his grit and toughness will never be questioned. But his continuous mistakes have only compounded Nebraska’s misfortunes.
The defense under coordinator Erik Chinander has grown into a tough unit worthy of the Blackshirts name. That group has given the Cornhuskers a chance to win every single game this season. An offense to match would give Nebraska a better-than-average shot at getting over the hump and turning close losses into wins.
Is that doable with the pressure on next year? Frost does not have much of a choice. With the guarantee of at least one more year, he can recruit the next month with the assurances he needs. He has to, in order to bolster his class. Expect the transfer portal to be a part of his plans, too.
As Alberts pointed out in his statement Monday, the Nebraska players have not quit. “The young men in our program have remained unified and shown great resiliency, which is an important reflection of the leadership of Coach Frost and his staff.”
In a quiet moment after the Ohio State game, Frost told ESPN he remained as confident as ever he would get the job done. He had a determination in his eye, as if the adversity of the past four years was going to push him to work that much harder to get Nebraska back where those in Big Red Nation deserve it belongs.
Frost is the same guy who led UCF to an undefeated season. But the expectations are different at Nebraska. The competition is different. The pressure is different. Everything he does is scrutinized and questioned. But that is bound to happen as the perceived conquering hero, expected to bring championships back to a place that demands them.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has offensive help on the way with a freshman receiver who just might make a difference against No. 9 Texas on Saturday.
Dallas Wilson is practicing for the first time since injuring his left foot in training camp and is scheduled to make his collegiate debut against the Longhorns, coach Billy Napier said Monday.
Napier called Wilson’s availability “a big deal.”
“Three good days of work last week, and I thought he handled the load well,” Napier said. “He feels really good. So far, so good.”
Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 213-pound newcomer from Tampa, was the star of Florida’s spring game in April. He caught 10 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, and all indications in fall practice pointed to it not being a fluke.
But Wilson injured his foot late in camp, spent weeks in a protective boot and watched from afar as the Gators (1-3, 0-1 SEC) struggled to move the ball and find the end zone. Florida scored 16, 10 and 7 points, respectively, in consecutive losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami, raising speculation about Napier’s future in Gainesville.
Quarterback DJ Lagway has been the focus of the team’s offensive woes. The sophomore who went 6-1 as a starter last season missed most of the year dealing with injuries and looked rusty when the season began.
Although Lagway’s mechanics seemed improved in the team’s 26-7 setback at Miami on Sept. 20, his offensive line got manhandled and allowed way too much pressure for anyone to notice. Lagway completed 12 of 23 passes for 61 yards against the Hurricanes.
Napier used the off week to get Lagway more live-action reps in hopes of getting him “caught up.” But he also reiterated the need to “play better around him.”
“Each position group needs to step up,” Napier said. “More detail, eliminate errors, eliminate penalties, whatever the case may be. I just think more detail and better overall play around him. And, obviously, he needs to continue to get back closer to being himself.”
Dallas Wilson has been unable to help — until now. The Gators are confident he will change the narrative against the No. 1 scoring defense in the SEC.
“Just having him out is going to be amazing for us,” Lagway said. “His ability to go deep, his ability to make plays underneath and be able to make miraculous plays with the ball in his hands, it’s going to be great to have him back.”
SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said Monday that he would consider leaving ESPN to run for the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama.
The 70-year-old Finebaum said during a recent interview with Outkick that he’d run as a Republican to fill the seat vacated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who has said he’ll run for Alabama governor in the 2026 elections. Tuberville’s current Senate term ends in 2027.
The qualifying deadline to run for Senate is Jan. 26, 2026. Finebaum said he would likely have to leave his hosting and analyst duties if he decided to run. He told Outkick he’d make a decision within the next 30-45 days.
Finebaum said he hadn’t seriously considered politics, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk was the impetus to give a run at politics further thought. He noted that he had received a “text” from “one or two people in Washington” gauging his interest in politics.
“[It was] something I never thought about before,” Finebaum told Outkick.
Finebaum is currently registered as a Republican in North Carolina, where he works for the SEC Network. He told Outkick he recently moved to Alabama, where he hosted a radio show for years, and would re-register there.
Finebaum hosted radio shows in Alabama for almost 30 years before joining ESPN and the SEC Network. He started his media career as a newspaper writer and columnist.
“Alabama has always been the place I’ve felt the most welcome, that I’ve cared the most about the people,” he said. “I’ve spoken to people from Alabama for 35 years, and I feel there is a connection that is hard to explain.”
Bobby Petrino has fired three defensive assistants just one day after being named interim head coach at Arkansas as part of an overhaul of the Razorbacks’ coaching staff.
Petrino dismissed defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and defensive assistant Marcus Woodson in the latest moves after being appointed interim coach for the rest of the season to replace Sam Pittman, who was fired Sunday following five-plus seasons as Arkansas’ head coach.
“I just felt like how we performed on Saturday gave me an indication that maybe Sam had lost the team a little bit because they generally had played really hard for him throughout his tenure,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said of the move, which came on the heels of a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame.
Petrino, 64, returned to Arkansas in 2023 as offensive coordinator after serving in a number of jobs. In four years as the Razorbacks’ head coach, he went 34-17, including consecutive seasons with double-digit victories in 2010 and 2011.
“Coach Petrino, as we met yesterday, he accepted this opportunity with the understanding that he also wanted an opportunity to formally be a candidate for our head coaching position, and he will have that opportunity, but we’ll also subsequently run a search for our next head coach at the same time,” Yurachek said.
Pittman’s dismissal, Petrino’s temporary promotion and the defensive assistant dismissals weren’t the only changes. Chris Wilson was named the team’s interim defensive coordinator.
Petrino had high praise for Wilson, who was in his first year with the Razorbacks as an assistant defensive line coach.
“My experience [with Wilson] goes way back to having to battle against him when he had all the great defensive linemen at Mississippi State,” Petrino said. “Very, very impressed with what he’s done throughout his career. Guy’s got a Super Bowl ring. He brings a lot of credibility into the room.”
Several defensive players posted cryptic messages on social media following the firing of Williams, who had served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2023. Yurachek and Petrino encouraged players to welcome change amid a 2-3 start to the season.
“The No. 1 thing is, you have to get used to change. You know, your whole life there’s going to be change. So how we handle that, our attitude on how we handle that, will determine how quickly we improve,” Petrino said.
Petrino was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in April 2012 that left him with four broken ribs. At first, he said he was riding alone, but a police report revealed a woman was riding with him. The woman turned out to be a former Arkansas athlete who was in a romantic relationship with the married Petrino. The coach had given her a job in the football program and a $20,000 gift.
Petrino was fired by then-athletic director Jeff Long for misleading his bosses about what happened with the accident and his relationship with the football staffer.
Pittman, 63, went 32-34 with the Razorbacks.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
