RIght now I think cold feet are a good sign? Why:
Booger can't know that SF has cold feet as all talk from the coach is on lock down right now.
SF has already (thank goodness) turned down UF. This is HUGE. If he wasn't coming to NU, why not also tell them now and let them move forward?
Whether TO called and asked SF to "come home" or not is not relevant, because the need is obvious. NU is at a serious crossroads right now, and if SF doesn't come home, the future looks bleak. Who else has the brains, know how, leadership and excellence to revise this mess? And its a mess because they've been repeatedly going for second tier coaches. After Frost, who's left? NU needs to put big $$$ on the table and pay SF like his is the top candidate that he is. Compete for him and win; get him to NU.
Competition is also key. Not sure what his reasons were for turning down the UF job, but why stay put? Building UCF is one thing, and building up the conference is another. Will be decades before that division is competing with top schools, making players better through big rivalries and getting the foot in the door of the rankings and CF playoff. B1G IS a top tier division, and as NU improves they will have rivals with Wisky, IA and then UM, PSU & OSU. To be the best, you have to compete and beat the best.
SF was at Stanford, and you have to be smart to get in there. He is playing this whole scenario smart as well, so patience is required. Both SF and AD Moos are saying ALL the right things. No progress and apparent cold feet mean that all remains in play...
For those playing the SF as yet another NU savior card, lets be real. Devaney & Osborne were not saviors, but great FB coaches. Hard work, brains and dedication got them a long way, all the way to the HOF. SF is not BC, BP or MR, but a Stanford/NU student and champion, an NFL player, and has an amazing coaching pedigree. This is not a second tier hire by any means. There are no guarantees, but he is not likely to fail at NU as have others. What he did at UCF is amazing and shows his coaching abilities. Winners like that are rare. However, even if that is a fluke, he remains the top choice (nationally as well) and a home run hire. His parents are in Lincoln, so is his heart. Moos is right that NU has all the infrastructure & support in place, and it is only natural for NU fans to clamor and embrace one of their own, a champion who continues to pursue championships wherever he's at, and who has the leadership (he was our QB after all), brains and class to deserve the offer, and the best chance there is to stop the bleeding and right the listing ship in the B1G sea its sinking in.
Looking good that Frost is coming home, and if so, it will be a true HOME RUN hire. NU fans know it, and the world knows it too.