Nebraska officials have confirmed that Scott Frost will be the next head coach. Frost will become the Huskers' 30th head football coach in school history.
STORY: What to know about Frost now that he's Nebraska's new head coach
While it was long speculated, Frost agreed to a 7-year, $35 million contract.
Here's the full press release from the Nebraska athletic department:
One of the nation’s most successful head coaches the past two seasons and a member of two Husker national championship teams, Scott Frost will return to his alma mater as Nebraska’s Head Football Coach. University of Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos will introduce Frost at a Sunday news conference in Lincoln.
Frost comes to Nebraska after two highly successful seasons as the head coach at UCF, where he guided the Golden Knights to a perfect 12-0 season in 2017, and an 18-7 record in two seasons in Orlando. UCF defeated No. 16 Memphis on Saturday in Orlando to capture the American Athletic Conference title, his first as a head coach and his seventh in 11 seasons as a full-time coach.
Moos selected Frost after consulting with UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green and NU President Hank Bounds. Moos said Frost is a rising star in the profession and a natural fit to lead the Nebraska program.
He added that Frost is well-prepared to take over a tradition-rich program like Nebraska in part because of the successful coaches he has learned from during his football career. Notable coaches Frost has either played for or coached with include Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, Mike Tomlin and Chip Kelly.
“I am thrilled that Scott is returning to his alma mater to lead the Husker football program,” Moos said. “I truly believe that we have hired the premier young coach in the country and that exciting times lie ahead.”
The 42-year-old Frost was a member of national championship teams at Nebraska in 1995 and 1997 and becomes the fifth former Husker to lead the NU football program, and first since Frank Solich.
“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.
“I am appreciative of the confidence Bill Moos and our University leadership have in me to lead this program. I would not have the opportunity to be in this position without a lot of great people who have helped me throughout my career. Specifically, I would like to thank Coach Osborne who has played such an integral role in my life over the past two decades, both on and off the field. Go Big Red!”
Frost is a semifinalist for the George Munger National Coach of the Year Award for a second consecutive season in 2017. He joins Alabama’s Nick Saban and Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst as the only coaches to be a semifinalist for the Munger Award in both 2016 and 2017.
The turnaround Frost has led at UCF has been one of the quickest in college football history. After inheriting a team that finished 0-12 in 2015, Frost led the Golden Knights to a nation-leading six-win improvement in 2016. Frost became the fourth coach in FBS history to make a bowl game with a team that was winless the previous season, and the only coach to do so in his first year at the school.
This season the improvement has continued at a record pace. UCF again improved by six victories with its perfect 12-0 record, marking the first undefeated regular season in UCF and AAC history. The Knights were ranked 11th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the AP poll heading into the AAC title game. Frost has guided a high-powered UCF offensive attack that leads the nation in scoring at 49.4 points per game.
Success has followed Frost throughout both his coaching and playing career. Before taking over as head coach at UCF, Frost spent time as an assistant at Oregon (2009-15) and Northern Iowa (2007-08) and served as a graduate assistant at Kansas State (2006) and Nebraska (2002). In his nine years as a full-time assistant coach, Frost was associated with teams that posted a 103-18 record, won six conference titles and played in two national championship games.
Frost was equally successful as a player. He went 24-2 as Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 1996 and 1997, playing for Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne. Frost led the Huskers to the 1997 national championship, and was the first Nebraska player to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season.
As a senior in 1997, Frost was an Academic All-American and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Frost went on to play six seasons in the National Football League as a defensive back.
A native of Wood River, Neb., Frost and his wife, Ashley, celebrated the birth of their son earlier this month. Frost’s father, Larry, played at Nebraska from 1967 to 1969, and was a high school football coach for more than 40 years. His mother, Carol, was an Olympic track athlete and was the head coach of the Nebraska women’s track and field team from 1977 to 1980.
The 30th official head coach in Nebraska history, Frost agreed to a 7-year, $35 million contract.
There is no place like home.
There is no place like Nebraska.
Welcome home, @Coach_Frost.
🗞️: https://t.co/yZAfHYxGns pic.twitter.com/nl7W0cBuT8— ❄️❄️ Nebraska Football ❄️❄️ (@HuskerFBNation) December 2, 2017
