Nuggets from Scott Frost appearance on Sports Nightly
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost appeared on Sports Nightly with Greg Sharpe on the Huskers IMG Sports Network on Wednesday night. He dove deeper into detail about how the transition has gone, what the spring plans are for the team and much more. Here are the highlights during the one-hour interview.
*** Frost said that there have already been big gains made with the team. He said that he has seen some before and after photos and it “looks like the biggest loser”. Frost credited new Strength coach Zach Duval for using the seven weeks so far to make big gains, cut body fat and getting more lean. He also said the team seems to be having fun with all the changes in the process.
*** The class of 2019 has been one of the main focuses over the past several weeks and the staff feel behind since they came in so late in the process. Frost says that it’s a balancing act trying to self-scout and recruit. He also stated that he is just now getting around to watching last year’s Nebraska games, but that was to get a feel for the personnel than anything else.
*** It doesn’t sound like there will be much of a spring depth chart. “There’s going to be some guys that I think everybody knows that are the lead guys, but for the most part we are hitting the reset switch and starting over.” Frost added that if they didn’t do that at UCF, then linebacker Shaquem Griffin wouldn’t have been what he was because he hadn’t played much before they got there. “Competition is going to be open at every position and that’ll get the best out of everybody.
*** “Hard work is going to get the Huskers to a different level,” Frost said. He added that the whole team has done a great job of going to work and he hopes that none of the team is satisfied from last year’s record. “The way to fix it is to get in the weight room and the classroom and work and I’ve seen a lot of guys starting to do that.”
*** Frost said that he thinks the early signing period is ‘really good’ and it helps him as a coach identify the guys that are definitely coming to Nebraska or not coming to Nebraska. He added that after the early signing period that you can then focus on the guys that aren’t signed and know who to go after.
*** He joked that “Kids are committing and decommiting now and that it feels like you’re a mother hen trying to keep 25 little chicks in the nest at the end and make sure nobody comes and steals your guys and you’re going out trying to steal some other people’s guys and that’s hard to manage.”
*** One of the bigger things that Frost said was the fact that they won’t have kids visit during spring practices. “We’ll bring people to games because I think seeing a Nebraska game is going to leave a good impression in everybody’s mind.” He added that one thing that amazed him was the number of recruits that after their visit told him that “Coach this is nothing like I thought it would be.”
*** While Frost praised the unity council, he added that he wouldn’t implement that until the second year. “If it makes sense you have to train everybody on what your culture is going to be and develop the leaders that can help take over and help be part of the decision-making process. It’s going to us awhile before I am comfortable with handing some of the controls over to some of those guys,” Frost said. He added that it is important and he felt it helped some of the success.
*** Winning the fourth quarter is something that Frost feels the 90s Husker teams really were known for. “We won in the fourth quarter, we won the physical matchup in the fourth quarter. We were bigger, stronger, deeper and we were in better shape. I’m not sure Nebraska has been winning the fourth quarter.” He added that they are going to continue to develop guys, but said it will take time to get that strength, speed and depth, but he wants to see Nebraska win the fourth quarter.
*** Frost made it clear that the five best offensive linemen are going to play. “If somebody is a second-string tackle and they’d be a better guard than somebody that is playing, we are going to move them.” Frost added that “Nebraska used to be offensive line U and we want it to be offensive line U. The pipeline used to be a big deal when I was here.” Frost credited Duval and company and said that they are laying the groundwork for the first few pipes.
*** There are a few new rules being tossed around the coaching circle. One of which would allow freshman to play up to four games without costing them a year of eligibility. Frost says he is in really in favor of that because it benefits the kids and it protects the players.
*** The other rule would be free transfers for everybody. “As much as I’m for player to do whatever they want, that would be a nightmare. You’d have coaches recruiting kids off of other teams and I don’t know where that would stop.”
*** The quarterback depth chart is going to be a ‘work in progress’ according to Frost. He added that redshirt sophomore Patrick O’Brien and redshirt freshman Tristian Gebbia are doing a great job and everybody is going to get a fair shot. He added that he believes O’Brien and Gebbia both have the ability to run his offense and to gain yards on the ground if needed. “In our offense, you don’t have to be a 4.4 (40-yard dash time), you just need to be an effective runner.
*** Frost reiterated that he wants to restore the effect of Nebraska in the region. “When I was playing at Nebraska, when there was a good player in the region, they wanted to play for Nebraska or a state that touched it. They wanted to come to Nebraska. I’m hoping we get some Kansas kids, Missouri Kids, Iowa kids.” Frost added that when he played at Nebraska that they developed better than anybody.
*** He had high praise for Duval for winning two national strength coach of the year awards in the country. “I was out in Eugene if we could mix that style of play and that speed training with Husker power that we’d win a lot of games. That’s what we tried to do getting Zach down to Orlando. He changed our team. We weren’t just bigger and stronger than most people we played, we also stayed healthier than teams we played.”
*** This year Frost will implement morning practices during spring practice. “I think you’re at your best and at your highest testosterone point in the morning, so we’ll be able to get more out of them in the morning.” He added that kids are sometimes tempted to sleep-in or skip class in the morning, but he knows that kids aren’t going to miss practice.
*** Frost said that they are going to be ‘transparent’. “We want coaches to come visit us, high school coaches to come sit-in on meetings, come to practice. We are going to be as interactive as we possibly can without giving away any advantages.” Frost had praise for Athletic Director Bill Moos who has been an “unbelievable leader.” He added on that he feels everybody in Nebraska is on the same page and that’s where you need it to be to have a great athletic department and football team.
***Frost said that there were going to be a few players that are going to miss most of spring or all of spring, but said he will make sure they will get as many mental reps as possible. Frost also said that he doesn’t know of anyone that is out for fall.
*** Fans might be able to attend another practice during the spring. Frost and his staff are talking about opening up another practice to fans, so the people that can’t attend the spring game will have a chance to see this team in action.