Scott Frost's fate under new AD

[Hilltop]

This year will be interesting. Should tell us a lot. Recruiting has kind of leveled off, I don't think we will ever be bringing top 10 classes. A talented 4 year starter in Martinez, the weapons are there (as "there" as they'll ever be), offensive line is young but extremely talented. Feels like we're at the point where it has to click. If it doesn't click for Martinez, Allen, Toure, Manning, Stepp, Scott - what would make us think it would click for Haarberg, Fidone, Betts, Brown, Ervin, Yant. Our defense should be stout, this HAS to be the year a corner is turned. 

I think many on here would agree with your basic statement but the differences start when you define what turning the corner is.  For me it is 6 wins and improved play.  For some on here, it's 8+ wins.  I just don't see that as a realistic expectation with the hardest schedule in the B1G.  

 

[J-MAGIC]

I think many on here would agree with your basic statement but the differences start when you define what turning the corner is.  For me it is 6 wins and improved play.  For some on here, it's 8+ wins.  I just don't see that as a realistic expectation with the hardest schedule in the B1G.  

I think most reasonable people would consider us playing like a Top 25 team to be "turning the corner". So let's say we do that and play like the 22nd-best team in the country next year. That would put us at four losses already baked into the schedule. 

 

[gossamorharpy]

That 2018 team was as good as Frost's last team. Yeah they lost a game to LSU, but that LSU team had like 5 first rounders and was going on to be one of the great offenses of all time the next season. Frost gave Heupel Milton, so he still gets credit there. What still scares me about Frost, is his really good teams as a Coach/Coordinator have been carried by Heisman caliber QB play.  Can we win in the B1G without a Heisman level QB1? 

Realistically speaking- isn’t this a basic requirement to not only win the Big 10, but also compete for playoff contention? To answer your question, no prolly not... but looking at the bigger picture I feel like every single playoff team the past few years also needed/had this outside of notre dame. 

 

[FrantzHardySwag]

I think many on here would agree with your basic statement but the differences start when you define what turning the corner is.  For me it is 6 wins and improved play.  For some on here, it's 8+ wins.  I just don't see that as a realistic expectation with the hardest schedule in the B1G.  

6-7 wins would be a start. I'd say a bowl game and 4 wins in the division. That would be a sign as progress to me. Frost is 5-12 (2-4, 2-4, 1-4) against the B1G West. We have to find a way to win 3-4 games in the B1G West if we want to reach our goals. 

 

[Huskers93-97]

I think trying to put an exact number of wins to the season to define it as a success here in July is not realistic. I think it all depends how those wins and losses look. I think at the end of the year most people will have a feel of if the team is trending in the right direction or still treading water. Until the year is done we don't know. The schedule could be as tough as it is on paper right now. Or some teams might not be as good as their preseason ranking. We all know preseason rankings don't mean crap majority of the time. I am hopeful for the season but I am reserving further judgement until this year is over. No more excuses about Riley or what was inherited. Year 4 is time to turn the corner. 

 

[Hagg]

I think most reasonable people would consider us playing like a Top 25 team to be "turning the corner". So let's say we do that and play like the 22nd-best team in the country next year. That would put us at four losses already baked into the schedule. 

Maybe we're trying to hard to have that almost sense of entitlement we had for so long way back before all this started, before the big slide into where we are now and have been for several cycles.  But I stay there and I do expect what you're saying there that we need to right now this season get into the top 25 and stay there, period.  Even if it's #22 or #25 for a while.

 

[Cdog923]

His recruiting is the best of any coach since Osborne as far as average ranking over a four year period.

False. 

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I can at least see Frost's building blocks.

I couldn't see Jack Crap from Riley.

To be clear on my stance, I am not pro-Riley. I predicted he and his AD would be fired in 3 seasons in the thread announcing his hire. It was obvious it wasn't going to work. 

But, the failures of Riley weren't limited to just coaching. There were issues throughout the Athletic Department during his tenure.

Those issues seem to still be there, after the recent Bill Moos "retirement" fiasco. The problems with the football program seem to indicate that there is rot somewhere in the upper levels. It could be a combination of Boosters, University President, Chancellor or whatever. But whatever it is is rotten, because it has caused problems for our coaches for the last 20 years.

 

[Lorewarn]

False. 

I guess you're right, Solich's first four were a better average than Frost's. Callahan has massive disparities between different services - if you go with Rivals for him compared to 247 for Frost he wins out, but if you go with Scout or PrepStar or ESPN he does not. Still, per some, the best since we were still a top 10, 11+ win program.

Solich

1998 - #10

1999 - #25

2000 - #12

2001 - #14

Frost 

2021 - #20 247 / #18 Rivals

2020 - #20 / #17 Rivals

2019 - #17 / #15 Rivals

2018 - #23 / #21 Rivals

 

[ZRod]

Check the calendar. 

Christmas in July?

 

[BigRedBuster]

I think trying to put an exact number of wins to the season to define it as a success here in July is not realistic. I think it all depends how those wins and losses look. I think at the end of the year most people will have a feel of if the team is trending in the right direction or still treading water. Until the year is done we don't know. The schedule could be as tough as it is on paper right now. Or some teams might not be as good as their preseason ranking. We all know preseason rankings don't mean crap majority of the time. I am hopeful for the season but I am reserving further judgement until this year is over. No more excuses about Riley or what was inherited. Year 4 is time to turn the corner. 

Also, what factors lead to any losses.

Injuries happen to all teams.  However, they aren't all equal.  Let's say 2AM goes down with injury a week before the season starts.  Then, Haarberg goes down the second week with Smothers breaking a leg riding his bike to practice two days before the OU game.  We are now down to Masker and Synek for the rest of the year.  The rest of the team looks good and go 4-8

Compare that to if 2AM is healthy all year and we go 4-8.  

Those two scenarios have the same record with vastly different scenarios as to how they should be judged.

 

[Dogs In A Pile]

Recruiting has kind of leveled off,

To me it looks more like gone into a tailspin. I'm used to losing recruiting battles but this year with the top instate players going elsewhere, legacies going elsewhere and all of the players we have been in on but lost it is looking pretty grim. Hard to sell you vision when you are 12-20.

 

[TheSker]

To be clear on my stance, I am not pro-Riley. I predicted he and his AD would be fired in 3 seasons in the thread announcing his hire. It was obvious it wasn't going to work. 

But, the failures of Riley weren't limited to just coaching. There were issues throughout the Athletic Department during his tenure.

Those issues seem to still be there, after the recent Bill Moos "retirement" fiasco. The problems with the football program seem to indicate that there is rot somewhere in the upper levels. It could be a combination of Boosters, University President, Chancellor or whatever. But whatever it is is rotten, because it has caused problems for our coaches for the last 20 years.

I'm not sure the Moos "retirement" falls under the fiasco category.

The athletic department was absolutely full of drama during the Perlman tenure though 

 

[Dogs In A Pile]

I'll admit I want Frost to succeed because of who he is, but I think we need to give him at least two more years unless things just fall off the rails this year.

The part of that that I don't understand is how is how is this all going to play out with a new AD coming in. When they do the interviews, do they tell them the job description is being in charge of the athletic department's future including all employees, coaches, projects etc. etc. - expect the football coach who you must give at least x more years turn things around? If you they are thinking that why not just slap the interim title on Klassy and let him ride it out? I don't see too many top level candidates walking into a situation where there hands are tied with regards to the head football coach, especially at a place like NU where the football program pays all the bills.

 

[Cdog923]

I guess you're right, Solich's first four were a better average than Frost's. Callahan has massive disparities between different services - if you go with Rivals for him compared to 247 for Frost he wins out, but if you go with Scout or PrepStar or ESPN he does not. Still, per some, the best since we were still a top 10, 11+ win program.

Solich

1998 - #10

1999 - #25

2000 - #12

2001 - #14

Frost 

2021 - #20 247 / #18 Rivals

2020 - #20 / #17 Rivals

2019 - #17 / #15 Rivals

2018 - #23 / #21 Rivals

Again, false. Frost has averaged a 20th ranked class on 247 and a 17.8 ranked class on Rivals, whereas Callahan averaged an 18.8 class on 247 and a 16.25 class on Rivals.