The coaching world is Scott Frost’s oyster. That’s the benefit of serving as an assistant and the lead recruiter at a program rapidly making a play to join the nation’s elite, as Oregon has done over its two seasons under Chip Kelly. Frost has been an integral part of Kelly’s success, both in terms of his impact in Oregon’s day-to-day improvement and his aforementioned prowess on the recruiting trail; his ability in the latter field recently helped the Ducks land one of the best classes in school history. In other words, when a school calls — yes, even Nebraska — Frost can afford to be patient.
Here’s what we know about Scott Frost: thanks to a perfect confluence of events, his stature on a national stage has grown exponentially since the end of Oregon’s season. This is partly due to the interest he garnered from Nebraska, which was interested in bringing Frost in as either the team’s new offensive coordinator or as the wide receivers coach, though the former option was the only position which held favor with the former Nebraska quarterback.
So what makes Frost so appealing? Let’s take a look:
1. A fast rise, youth and all
The speed with which Frost has risen through the coaching ranks mirrors — to a lesser degree, to be fair — the path which Chip Kelly has taken from New Hampshire to the national title game. Like Kelly, Frost’s initial coaching experience came on college football’s lower levels: from 2007-8, he was Northern Iowa’s linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Kelly’s decision to add Frost to his debut season has been an inspired one: while its the running game that pushes the Oregon offense, the job Frost has done with Oregon’s pass-catchers has been largely praised; over the last two seasons, for instance, Frost has helped turn Jeff Maehl into one of the conference’s top receivers — at the same time, he’s helped develop the next line of Oregon receivers, like Josh Huff and Lavasier Tuinei.
Frost is also young — he recently turned 36 — which speaks to the speed with which he’s acclimated himself to the coaching profession.
2. His prowess as a recruiter
Technically, Oregon only asks Frost to recruit wide receivers; Frost only landed four such targets during this latest recruiting cycle, three of the four-star variety. It’s obvious that Frost does far more than that: while not credited with his recruitment — linebackers coach Don Pellum drew the honors — Frost played a role in Oregon’s late turn of De’Anthony Thomas, a five-star prospect out of California, away from U.S.C. and to Eugene.
What makes Frost so effective in a recruiting capacity? His youth plays a role, as do his playing days — first at Nebraska and later in the N.F.L., where he spent seven seasons as a defensive back with the Jets, Browns, Packers and Buccaneers. There’s also an ability to relate to potential recruits, an underrated asset that supersedes mere name value and recognition. A high school senior might not remember Frost as a national title-winning quarterback, but he’ll remember the name once Frost has an opportunity to hold court in his living room.
3. His experience at Oregon
What else could a young coach ask for than to learn how to run an offense from one of the nation’s top minds? Frost is in the midst of Coaching 101 — it may be a 400-level course, in fact — with Chip Kelly as his instructor. There’s no doubt that Oregon’s version of the spread has surpassed Florida’s spread attack as the new, trendy offense in the F.B.S.; likewise, Frost’s immersion in this system would surely lead him to implement Oregon’s spread at his next stop.
Perhaps he needs more time, more seasoning as an offensive coach before taking a step up the coaching ladder. That may very well be the case, in fact, particularly when considering that as impressive as Frost has been, he does have only two years of coaching experience on the F.B.S. level, let alone the B.C.S. conference level. Yet most signs point towards his future as a college coach being a supremely bright one.
Meanwhile, from recent reports, Nebraska and Bo Pelini feel hesitant to offer Frost the coordinator position; regardless of all else that the Cornhuskers can offer, Frost will not leave Oregon for a lateral move — and rightfully so. He can afford to hold out for the best possible offer: Frost won’t jump directly to a head coach position, but sooner or later, a B.C.S. conference program will hand him the keys to its offense.
If Frost does decide to stay at Oregon instead of taking the same position at Nebraska — if the Cornhuskers don’t offer him the coordinator position, as seems to be the case — Nebraska should merely hope it didn’t miss out on something big. Of course, Nebraska has been in this boat before: Frost, a Nebraskan by birth, signed with Stanford coming out of high school before returning home in 1995, helping his home-state team to a national title in 1997.
Unfortunately, lightning doesn’t always strike twice. Twice in the same spot? That’s even rarer.
Similar Posts:
- 2010 End-of-Year Awards: Pac-10
- Grading Kent State’s Coaching Move
- Grading Vanderbilt’s Coaching Move
- Familiarity with Florida a Plus
- A Conference Title Weekend What-If
Post Comment