Scott Frost

Scott Frost is officially returning to UCF.

The Knights announced Saturday that Frost has been hired as their next head football coach, replacing Gus Malzahn. Frost agreed to a five-year contract through 2029, per a UCF press release.

"Today marks an exciting reunion for UCF Football as we welcome back Scott Frost, a coach who ignites the spirit and passion of Knight Nation," Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir said. "Scott's love for his players, along with his leadership, enthusiasm and vision were pivotal in making the decision to bring him back to UCF. Throughout this national search, his passion for UCF was clear. I believe no one wanted to lead our program more than Scott."

The news comes after Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel reported that the Knights were "close" to bringing back Frost as the team's next head coach.

Frost previously patrolled the sidelines at UCF from 2016 through 2017, finishing with a record of 19-7 in his two years with the program.

Malzahn served as head coach of the Knights over the past four years, but he resigned from the position to become Florida State's new offensive coordinator on Nov. 30.

Malzahn's UCF career started strong with consecutive nine-win seasons in 2021 and 2022, but his team struggled following a move to the Big 12 in 2023. In two years since switching to a new conference, the Knights own a 10-15 record.

This includes a 4-8 finish this season, marking the first year that UCF won't be participating in a bowl game since 2015.

After the Knights wrapped up a dismal 0-12 record that year, Frost was hired before their 2016 campaign. His brief tenure in Orlando included a memorable turnaround that was capped off with a 13-0 finish in 2017.

The Knights surpassed 30 points in each game during their undefeated campaign, emerging victorious over Auburn with a 34-27 win in the Peach Bowl.

There's some risk involved with bringing back Frost, especially considering his stint with Nebraska after leaving UCF. He compiled a record of just 16-31 with the Cornhuskers and was fired in the middle of the 2022 season.

Frost has been serving as a member of the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff since he left Nebraska, but the opportunity to reconnect with his former team reportedly has him close to a return to the college level.

As UCF looks to bounce back in 2025, Frost could attempt to oversee swift improvements once again.

The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly adding a familiar name to their coaching staff.

Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic and ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Sunday that head coach Sean McVay is hiring former NFL player and former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost. Thamel noted the position is officially senior football analyst, while Rodrigue said Frost "will help with a variety of roles on the staff (including special teams where they have a vacancy)."

Rodrigue also explained "this has been in the works for a few days" after Frost spent time with the Rams during training camp.

Frost is more closely associated with the college game, but he played in the NFL for five seasons from 1998 through 2003 for the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he played quarterback collegiately at Nebraska, he was a defensive back during his playing days in the NFL.

He went into coaching following his NFL career and worked his way up to offensive coordinator for Oregon while helping lead the Ducks to the College Football Playoff national championship game during the 2014 campaign

His first head coaching job came at UCF starting with the 2016 season, and he led the Knights to a 13-0 record and Peach Bowl victory over Auburn in his second year at the helm.

As a result of the immediate turnaround with a team from the American Athletic Conference, he seemed like an obvious hire for Nebraska when it had a coaching vacancy ahead of the 2018 season. After all, it was his alma mater and he already proved he can thrive in multiple roles in the college game.

Unfortunately for Frost and the Cornhuskers, it didn't work out that way.

He went 16-31 and was fired after three games during his fifth season in 2022. It was a disappointing tenure and overshadowed some of the impressive things he did at Oregon and UCF.

But he will now have another chance to make an impact in the coaching profession with a Rams team that is coming off a playoff appearance. Los Angeles once again has high expectations with McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford leading the way, and Frost will surely look to help however possible.

The Rams start the 2024 season on the road against the Detroit Lions next Sunday.

Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested on Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to a house on a domestic disturbance call and after investigating the situation arrested Joseph.

The Lincoln PD noted that it generally does not provide a press release after a domestic assault arrest but did so in this case "due to the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure."

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement (via KSBN Local 4). "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Nebraska fired former head coach Scott Frost this season after a 1-2 start to the 2022 campaign and a 16-31 record in parts of five seasons. Joseph was hired to serve as the interim head coach and led the Cornhuskers to a 3-6 mark the rest of the season.

The school hired former Temple, Baylor and Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule to take over the position earlier this week, signing him to an eight-year, $74 million contract.

Joseph previously spent time on the coaching staff at Alabama State (2000), Nicholls State (2001-03), Central Oklahoma (2004-05), Langston University (2008-12), Alcorn State (2013), Grambling State (2014-15), Louisiana Tech (2016) and LSU (2017-21).

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold have reportedly emerged as the "three leading candidates on top of Nebraska's wish list" amid its head coaching search.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Tuesday that trio leads a group of 11 potential targets to replace Scott Frost, who was fired following a Sept. 10 loss to Georgia Southern. The Cornhuskers' list includes one internal option: interim head coach Mickey Joseph.

Here's a look at the other coaches linked to the Huskers, per Feldman:

• Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman
• Washington State head coach Jake Dickert
  
• Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell
  
• Former Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall
• Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule
  
• Texas special assistant Gary Patterson
  
• Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard
  

Frost seemed like the perfect hire to get Nebraska football back on track. He's a Lincoln native who helped lead the Huskers to a share of a national championship as a quarterback in 1997, the last time they reached the mountaintop of college football.

He arrived after leading UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017, which provided a major boost to his coaching stock, but it simply didn't work out at his alma mater. The Cornhuskers posted a 16-31 record during his four-plus-year tenure with no winning seasons.

It raises uncertainty about what type of coach is needed to turn the tide back in the program's favor, and athletic director Trev Alberts noted after Frost's dismissal that he's going to seek outside guidance from other coaches to answer that question.

"If you hear that Trev Alberts reached out to XYZ coach, it might very well be true. Doesn't mean that I'm trying to hire that coach," Alberts told reporters. "I'd like to get that perspective. I'd like to get a perspective of a coach who isn't here right now about our job, and what the uniqueness is and the needs and those sorts of things."

While there are some marquee names on the candidates list—Campbell has been linked to numerous high-profile jobs in recent years and O'Brien owns success both in college and the NFL—Leipold may be the most intriguing option if the program is willing to have patience.

Kansas' head coach is a builder. He constructed Wisconsin-Whitewater into a Division III powerhouse, helped turn Buffalo into a consistent MAC contender and has already helped the Jayhawks show signs of turning a corner after an extended downturn.

It doesn't necessarily happen overnight, as a 2-10 record during his second year in Buffalo shows, but his ability to steadily lay a foundation has been impressive at every stop.

Leipold wouldn't arrive and land a ton of 5-star, top-10 prospects right away, but he'd bring in players who fit his system to help create that groundwork for future success. It happened in Buffalo, and it's already taking place at Kansas.

That's what Nebraska needs right now. It's no longer realistic to think the Huskers are going to contend for a national title in the immediate future, so hiring a coach who can build a culture that can pay dividends down the line should be the mindset.

So far, Alberts and Co. haven't shown extreme urgency to fill the void, which will give Joseph a chance to impress in the interim role. But it would be a surprise if Leipold, if he's interested, isn't one of the finalists as the list begins to shrink.

Nebraska coach Scott Frost clarified that he doesn't have a problem with offensive coordinator Mark Whipple despite apparent criticism Saturday.

"No, not at all. He’s really smart. Really good at what he does," Frost said of Whipple, per Eric Olson of the Associated Press. "We have a lot of other coaches who are really smart and good at what they do. We need to find our rhythm of putting all the best stuff together. I thought it was good on Saturday. It can be better."

Nebraska blew a double-digit second-half lead in a 31-28 loss to Northwestern in the season-opening matchup in Ireland. After the game, Frost seemingly criticized the play-calling.

"I think our offensive staff has to learn you've got to be a little more creative in this league," the coach said.

Frost had previously called offensive plays, but Whipple has taken over responsibilities in his first year with the team after three years at Pittsburgh.

After a strong start to the game, Nebraska struggled offensively and failed to score in any of its last six drives, featuring two interceptions and four punts.

Frost said Tuesday he might have called more quarterback runs if he had the reins, but he is still standing by Whipple.

"You get in a rhythm as a play-caller. That's the approach I took," Frost said. "Whip's an elite play-caller. I think that showed up in the first two-and-a-half quarters. You see what can be done with this offense."

The head coach also had his own faults in the game, notably the decision to attempt an onside kick up 28-17 in the third quarter. Northwestern recovered and seemingly took the momentum to score 4 unanswered points.

Now in his fifth year at Nebraska, Frost has a 15-30 record at the school with zero winning seasons. The pressure will only continue to grow this year, regardless of who is calling the plays.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers were up 28-17 in the third quarter against Northwestern, fresh off scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives, when head coach Scott Frost pulled the trigger on an onside kick.

It didn't work, and it changed the entirety of the game. Northwestern scored on the ensuing drive, given their strong field position to start, and rode that momentum to a 31-28 comeback win.

After the game, Frost said he regretted the decision.

"If I did it over, I wouldn't make the call," he told reporters.

"Anytime something doesn't work, you want it back. We've been talking to the kids about being aggressive and attacking things." he continued. "I made that call, so it's on me. I thought all the momentum was on our side, so I thought we could end the game."

It certainly wasn't a popular decision on social media:

It was the sort of decision that will call Frost's tenure at Nebraska into even more question. Since taking over as head coach in 2018, the Huskers have gone just 15-30.

And many of those losses have been close heartbreakers, the sort of contests a proud program like Nebraska expects to win.

That, not surprisingly, reignited the talk that Frost may be planted firmly on the hot seat. The 47-year-old, who won a national championship with the Huskers as the team's quarterback in 1997, was a hot coaching commodity after leading UCF to a 13-0 record in 2017, just his second season on the job.

But it hasn't been smooth sailing in Lincoln, and Frost knows the expectation is results.

"You've got to win in this business to keep your job," he told reporters. "That's the way it is."

The circumstances of Saturday's loss were somewhat unique, as the contest was played in Ireland at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.

But Nebraska appeared to have Northwestern on the ropes and punched themselves instead with the decision to go for an onside kick and a few untimely turnovers in the fourth quarter.

It was a letdown that has become all too familiar under Frost, and if he doesn't find a solution soon, his time leading the Huskers may come to a close.

Nebraska's coaching staff has unwittingly become the source of controversy in the wake of head coach Scott Frost's comments about how hard the entire offensive line is being pushed in practices leading up to the start of the regular season.

During an appearance on his monthly radio show (h/t Evan Bland of the Omaha World-Herald), Frost said members of the offensive line vomit a combined total of 15-20 times every practice.

"It’s not because they’re not in shape—he’s just working them hard," Frost said of offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. "I think they love it. He’s kind of freed them up to go be aggressive and I love the way they’re coming off the ball."

After Frost's comments came out, there was swift backlash to the coaching staff for allowing this to happen.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert called the comments "an absurd and embarrassing thing to brag about" and noted he covered the death of an NFL player (Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer, who died in 2001) from heatstroke caused in part by vomiting during practice.

In July 2021, ahead of the 20th anniversary of Stringer's death, Seifert wrote an article for ESPN.com highlighting some of the ways the NFL and individual states have changed safety protocols to protect football players from heat exhaustion.

"A total of 38 states have changed laws or adopted new guidelines to mandate safety protocols, and an estimated 75 percent of high schools in the country have cold water immersion tubs available to reverse the onset of heat illness, according to Douglas Casa, chief executive officer of KSI and a professor of kinesiology at UConn," Seifert wrote.

Morgan Campbell of CBS Sports said he would be asking questions if he saw that many players getting sick on the field during practice.

Frost presumably thought he was making a comment about how hard the players are working to ensure the Cornhuskers have a good season, but this will only raise questions about the staff's coaching style and philosophy.

Nebraska is set to open the 2022 season on Aug. 27 against Northwestern at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The Cornhuskers have a 15-29 record in four seasons with Frost as head coach.