In return to Nebraska, Austin ready to help Husker revival
When Greg Austin left Tom Osborne Field in the spring of 2007, he never knew he’d be sitting behind one of the North Stadium desks just 10 years later.
Nebraska’s new pipeline general called the feeling of stepping into Dennis Wagner’s old office “surreal.” The former Husker guard of the mid-2000s said it’s still hard for him to believe when he calls recruits and introduces himself as the Nebraska offensive line coach.
“It didn’t hit me until I got to Nebraska for the first recruiting weekend,” Austin said on the Husker Sports Network’s “Sports Nightly” radio program. “I was like, ‘Dang, I’m back in Nebraska. This is crazy.’ So that was a unique experience.
“The most surreal thing that happened to me happened last weekend when I actually walked on the field for first time since I had played. It was so unique and I had a little emotional moment.”
Similar to head coach Scott Frost, Austin took a winding road back to Nebraska. Austin and Frost first met at Nebraska but formed a working relationship as assistants on Chip Kelly’s staff at Oregon. While Frost handled the wide receivers, Austin operated as a graduate assistant for the offensive line and eventually followed Kelly to the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles.
From the outset, Austin had told Frost that he’d follow him wherever he went. When Frost called his old colleague with three job openings available, Austin followed to become the offensive line coach at UCF.
A remarkable turnaround in bringing the Knights from 0-12 to 12-0 in two years led to the entire staff coming to Nebraska, but Austin said the last month has been a struggle for balance as the staff tries to finish things right in Orlando.
“It’s been tough at times and certainly it’s been an eye-opener,” Austin said, “just in terms of ball, in terms of life, in terms of enjoying the ride with the guys through this undefeated season. Then transitioning to the next stage of this coaching career for us; also honoring the season that we’ve had and coaching these guys through the bowl game.”
Between coaching and recruiting, Austin said all the coaches have been spread thin throughout this process. However, they’ve made the most of their last few weeks with UCF and have worked to make the transition smooth.
In the coming months, the staff will focus on the internal transition in Lincoln. The end of Mike Riley’s three-year tenure as head coach left the Huskers set up for a pro-style system, but Frost’s offense will go fast with a run-and-gun feel.
In creating the nation’s top scoring offense in 2017, Austin’s offensive line paved the way for a run game that averaged more than 200 yards per contest.
“I always talk to the guys about playing fast between the whistles,” Austin said. “We always want to play fast obviously when the ball is snapped, but what can we do to maximize the time we have between those snaps?
“Whether it be getting your eyes back to the sideline, getting to the line of scrimmage, getting your eyes to the defense, seeing all your cues and clues as to what they’re going to do, what their intentions are; and then being able to be successful throughout the play, all that stuff is geared toward being successful.”
Before Austin can help Nebraska’s offensive linemen between the whistles, he’ll have to maximize their growth within a new system heading into spring ball. The offseason conditioning is built for the tempo offense.
While it may not look much like the West Coast offense Austin ran for Bill Callahan in the mid-2000s, all he cares about is getting the Nebraska offense rolling fast enough to get the Huskers back on track, so perhaps in years down the road, NU offensive linemen can come back and get the same chills Austin did when stepping back onto Tom Osborne Field.
“It was cool to kind of feel it,” Austin said of that moment. “Feel all those folks, all those diehard Nebraska fans just cheering you on and cheering these guys on and really wanting to see the best ball out there.
“I’m excited to be a part of the family again and get our Huskers going back where we need to go.”
