Sep 3, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost looks on during a timeout in the second quarter against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Reports: UCF bringing back former 13-0 coach Scott Frost

Scott Frost, who guided UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017, is returning to the school for a second stint as head coach, according to multiple reports on Saturday night.

Frost went 19-7 in two seasons (2016-17) at the school before departing for Nebraska, his alma mater.

That move didn’t go so well as Frost went 16-31 in four-plus seasons with the Cornhuskers and didn’t have a single winning season. He was fired after the third game of the 2022 season — a 45-42 home loss to Georgia Southern.

Frost, 49, is currently an assistant coach with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. He will replace Gus Malzahn, who recently departed to be the offensive coordinator at Florida State.

Frost went 6-7 in his first season at UCF before the memorable 2017 campaign in which he was the consensus national coach of the year.

The Knights sailed through their schedule but were bypassed for the four-team College Football Playoff. After UCF beat Auburn 34-27 in the Peach Bowl and finished sixth in the final poll, the school famously claimed it won the national championship.

Malzahn went 28-24 in four seasons at the Orlando school, but the program was just 10-15 overall the past two seasons after moving into the Big 12. The Knights went 5-13 in Big 12 play under Malzahn.

During his playing career, Frost was the starting quarterback when Nebraska went 13-0 and won a share of the 1997 national championship. Michigan was the co-champion. He rushed for 1,095 yards and 19 touchdowns that season in the run-based attack.

–Field Level Media

Sep 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins reacts after a call during the game against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Hot seat? Fire building for these 5 CFB coaches

Nebraska’s firing of Scott Frost serves as a testament to the short leash for Power 5 head coaches.

Cutthroat? Yeah, that applies.

The Cornhuskers, miserable in one-score games since Frost took over, fired a native son who quarterbacked the program to its last national championship 25 years ago, and did so less than a month before his $15 million buyout halved.

Early-season divorces may become the new trend. Nebraska’s decision to move on from Frost was only a season after USC split with Clay Helton following Week 2, a decision made by a brass seeking a running start in pursuit of then-Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley.

Here are five coaches who are approaching win-or-walking papers territory:

–Neal Brown, West Virginia

Brown replaced a veritable legend in Larry Blakeney at Troy and coached the Trojans to unprecedented heights with three straight double-digit-win seasons and bowl game wins.

Stabilizing the Mountaineers after the turbulent tenure of Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia has proven more challenging. The Mountaineers have yet to win more than six games in any of Brown’s first three full seasons, and their only winning mark came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

A West Virginia program that staked its reputation on explosive offenses for the better part of two decades stagnated on that side of the ball in Brown’s first three years, but in two losses to start 2022, the Mountaineers are struggling defensively.

A week after surrendering 55 points to Kansas, a loss to Towson in Week 3 would be curtains for Brown in Morgantown.

–Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech

Deviating from the triple-option offense after Paul Johnson’s 2018 retirement has hardly gone as planned for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have averaged 16.7, 23.9 and 24 points per game in Geoff Collins’ three seasons as head coach, ranking Georgia Tech consistently in the bottom-third of Power 5 offenses.

The Yellow Jackets have put up 45 total points through the first two games of 2022, and that number may prove skewed as the season progresses with Georgia Tech registering 35 against FCS opponent Western Carolina.

Each of Collins’ first three teams have finished with three wins to match the worst record of Johnson’s entire tenure. A fourth straight season of such futility is grounds for a shake-up.

–Herm Edwards, Arizona State

He’s still playing to win the game. But you might not know it.

Winning solves a lot of problems, but Arizona State simply has not won in big spots enough while under the pall of an NCAA investigation.

Allegations of recruiting violations preceded an exodus of assistant coaches in Edwards’ charge, and the Sun Devils underwent significant roster changes with transfer-portal departures. The turnover and investigation add an extra layer of malaise to a tenure that has seen Arizona State reach three bowl games under Edwards, but fail to reach a Pac-12 Championship Game in a down period for the conference.

Arizona State’s lopsided Week 2 loss at Oklahoma State reflected the Sun Devils’ struggles in marquee matchups under Edwards — and they have three such games on the upcoming slate with Utah, USC and Washington to start conference play.

–Bryan Harsin, Auburn

Perhaps an “Orange Out” upset of Penn State on Saturday night can spare a fella, but the Nittany Lions aren’t exactly championship material at the moment.

There was a time not long ago when suggesting a coach in just his second season occupied a hot seat may have seemed absurd, barring major malfeasance.

If it’s not enough to be little brother to the dynastic Alabama program, there’s also the notion that boosters and the athletic department have immediate national championship aspirations. That means patience among fans will drop proportionally to the rise in coaches’ paychecks.

Look no further than Florida State, which Auburn played for the 2013 season’s national title, and its split from Willie Taggart in 2019 after just 21 games.

For Harsin at Auburn, the hire looked like an odd fit from the outset. Harsin won consistently at his alma mater, Boise State, but outside of a tumultuous two years as an offensive coordinator at Texas and one season as head coach at Arkansas State, worked exclusively in the West.

A disastrous finish to 2021 with five straight losses and a less-than-inspiring 2-0 start to 2022, including a scraped-out 24-16 defeat of San Jose State, puts the heat on Harsin early. Auburn is seemingly losing ground to SEC counterparts Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State while still playing catch-up to Alabama and Georgia.

–Scott Satterfield, Louisville

Scott Satterfield’s tenure at alma mater Appalachian State elevated the program from FCS powerhouse to Top 25-caliber FBS program. His stint at Louisville has come nowhere near the same level of success, with the Cardinals enduring sub-.500 finishes after Satterfield’s 8-5 debut in 2019.

Beating UCF in Week 2 offers some reprieve, but a 31-7 loss at Syracuse in the opener set an ominous tone for Louisville’s season. The fact that the Cardinals continuing to scratch for a middling record while in-state rival Kentucky is on a meteoric ascent does Satterfield little favor — particularly with the Wildcats looming as the final opponent of this regular season.

–By Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost walks off the field following the loss to the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Power 5 Hot Seats: Bryan Harsin, Scott Frost favored to be first fired

Nebraska is a double-digit favorite ahead of its season opener on Saturday, but a win over Northwestern in Dublin wouldn’t significantly cool the proverbial seat under Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost.

Frost is the -120 favorite to be the first Big Ten coach fired in odds released by SportsBetting.ag. That’s the second-shortest odds among all of the Power 5 coaches behind only Auburn’s Bryan Harsin.

Harsin, who kept his job following a February inquiry into his football program, is being offered at -1000 to be the first SEC coach fired this season.

Frost and Harsin are the only two Power 5 coaches with better than even odds to be the first coach let go within their respective conference. The next-shortest odds belong to West Virginia’s Neal Brown, who is the +100 favorite to be the first Big 12 coach fired this season.

First ACC Coach Fired
Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: +200
Dino Babers, Syracuse: +225
Mike Norvell, Florida State: +275
Scott Satterfield, Louisville: +500
Mack Brown, North Carolina: +700
Jeff Hafley, Boston College: +2500
Mario Cristobal, Miami: +2500
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech: +5000
Dave Doeren, NC State: +5000
Mike Elko, Duke: +5000
Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh: +5000
Tony Elliott, Virginia: +5000
Dabo Swinney, Clemson: +6600
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest: +6600

First Big 12 Coach Fired
Neal Brown, West Virginia: +100
Steve Sarkisian, Texas: +110
Chris Klieman, Kansas State: +1000
Matt Campbell, Iowa State: +1000
Dave Aranda, Baylor: +3300
Lance Leipold, Kansas: +4000
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: +4000
Brent Venables, Oklahoma: +5000
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech: +5000
Sonny Dykes, TCU: +5000

First Big Ten Coach Fired
Scott Frost, Nebraska: -120
Tom Allen, Indiana: +400
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: +600
Greg Schiano, Rutgers: +700
James Franklin, Penn State: +1200
Jeff Brohm, Purdue: +1200
Mike Locksley, Maryland: +1600
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: +2500
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota: +2500
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin: +3300
Bret Bielema, Illinois: +5000
Mel Tucker, Michigan State: +5000
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: +6600
Ryan Day, Ohio State: +10000

First Pac-12 Coach Fired
Herm Edwards, Arizona State: +225
David Shaw, Stanford: +250
Jedd Fisch, Arizona: +260
Karl Dorrell, Colorado: +400
Justin Wilcox, California: +500
Chip Kelly, UCLA: +1600
Jonathan Smith, Oregon State: +2500
Dan Lanning, Oregon: +5000
Jake Dickert, Washington State: +6600
Kyle Whittingham, Utah: +6600
Kalen DeBoer, Washington: +10000
Lincoln Riley, USC: +10000

First SEC Coach Fired
Bryan Harsin, Auburn: -1000
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: +500
Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri: +1600
Mike Leach, Mississippi State: +1600
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: +2000
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: +5000
Josh Heupel, Tennessee: +6600
Shane Beamer, South Carolina: +6600
Sam Pittman, Arkansas: +10000
Billy Napier, Florida: +25000
Brian Kelly, LSU: +25000
Kirby Smart, Georgia: +50000
Nick Saban, Alabama: +50000

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2019; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost heads onto the field prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Frost, Nebraska contemplate going rogue

Nebraska continues to contemplate going rogue in light of the Big Ten’s decision to punt college football season until the spring.

Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost repeated his opinion that college football should be played in 2020, counter to the conference announcement that it would not play the season in the fall as scheduled.

“We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges,” Frost, Nebraska president Ted Carter and chancellor Ronnie Green said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete.”

Options could include participating with other conferences that have yet to postpone, including the Big 12, where Nebraska was once a member.

“We want to play a Big Ten schedule. I think the only reason we would look at any other options is if for some reason the Big Ten wasn’t playing and only a handful of teams from the Big Ten wanted to continue playing,” Frost said Monday. “I think if that’s the case, I think we’re prepared to look at any and all options.”

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said on Tuesday after the announcement the league had postponed fall sports that he hopes all 14 member institutions would stick together. Dan Patrick reported on his radio show Monday that Nebraska and Iowa were dissenting in a 12-2 vote on delaying the 2020 season.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was against the Big Ten’s decision to delay the season until the spring. Harbaugh said in a statement on Tuesday that the Wolverines still want to compete.

“Our student-athletes and coaches want to compete,” Harbaugh said. “They have committed, trained and prepared their entire lives for this opportunity, and I know how much they’re disappointed at this time. I share in their disappointment today.

“We have shown over the weeks since returning to campus that we could meet the challenge and provide our student-athletes the opportunity of a fall football season. Our football team, our coaching staff, our support staff in Schembechler Hall have all stepped up, followed every rule, and done everything in their power magnificently to give all the opportunity to compete. I am extremely proud, thankful and appreciative of our team and how they have conducted and represented our program and university.”

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Monday he planned to “continue to fight” for his players.

–Field Level Media