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Scott Frost Admits Taking Nebraska Job Wasn't a 'Good' Move For Him

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 8:25 PM ET

In a move that seemed to spark fairytale-like aspirations from fans, Scott Frost's tenure as the Nebraska Cornhuskers' head coach did not have a happy ending by any means.

After starting his college career at Stanford, Frost transferred to Nebraska, where he quarterbacked the program to a 24-2 record across the 1996-97 seasons and led the team to a share of the national title in 1997.

Coaching-wise, it didn't take long for Frost to find stardom. He led the UCF Knights to a 6-7 record in year one before leading the team to a 13-0 record in 2017 and claiming a national title. His two years in Orlando led to him getting a chance to turn around the program at Nebraska, but ultimately, things didn't work out.

Frost finished with a 16-31 record and was fired three games into his fifth season in 2022. He has since returned for a second stint at UCF, and at Tuesday's Big 12 Media Day, admitted to The Athletic's Chris Vannini he should have never left Orlando.

"I said I wouldn't leave (UCF) unless it was someplace you could win a national championship," Frost said. "I got tugged in a direction to try to help my alma mater and didn't really want to do it. It wasn't a good move. I'm lucky to get back to a place where I was a lot happier."

While UCF was able to put together 12- and 10-win seasons after Frost's departure, the program has since fallen off. The Knights are coming off back-to-back sub-.500 seasons and have seemingly struggled with the jump to the Big 12, posting a 5-13 record in conference play the last two years.

It won't be an easy rebuild by any means, but Frost seems to be content with his return.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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