Kind of a weird question, but something I’ve been thinking about throughout these struggles. In our unending quest to “restore NU’s glory” we’ve tried four different coaches with very distinctly different personalities. We tried the aloof ‘smarter than the room’ professional guy, the hardass who won a decent amount but was an asshole and hated it here, the guy who was the embodiment of the fans who clap for the opponents after they beat us, and now Frost.
In 2017, I watched Frost from afar and thought he was going to be exactly what we needed. Obviously the football side of it seemed incredible. But beyond having the best offense in the country, when I’d see him on the UCF sidelines, in press conferences, and in UCF’s Rise & Conquer video series, he seemed like a modern, energized, and innovative “players’ coach” who I thought was going to immediately come in and gain respect due to his offensive wizardry, while also being almost a cool older brother type of presence players could rely on and connect with. That’s how it seemed to play out at UCF. The fact that he played here was just a bonus, he could teach the players how to navigate the unique and very tricky fishbowl here but in a way that was healthy and appreciative instead of paranoid and cancerous.
Almost four years later, Frost as a person is an enigma to me. I assume the players like him, but we never hear any stories of special bonds like he had at UCF, let alone undying loyalty like former players still describe with Bo. He says he loves Nebraska and cares about it more than anybody, but he seems utterly miserable and on-edge at all times. Is he funny? Does he go around checking on players in class? Is he cold and distant? Is he rallying the troops? Is he playing the blame game? Is he handing out ice cream cones? I have absolutely no idea what the guy is like.
I thought we as fans were going to know Frost like a family member - I mean we’ve “known” him for 25 years! But it’s like he decided to put on some kind of “stoic Nebraskan” mask the second he arrived in Lincoln. We’re in year four and I can’t think of any unique behind-the-scenes stories about how he runs the program – good or bad! – like we have always learned about our coaches. Maybe it’s solely based on having to face adversity? Maybe the weight of the responsibility and context just immediately zapped him of any spark he had? I have no idea.
I have no interest in salacious unproven rumors, that’s not at all what this post is about. It’s just strange, on top of all the on-the-field catastrophes, that the guy seems like a ghost of his former self. I guess if I had to describe him in one way, it’s a guy who wishes with all of his heart that he never came back home.
In 2017, I watched Frost from afar and thought he was going to be exactly what we needed. Obviously the football side of it seemed incredible. But beyond having the best offense in the country, when I’d see him on the UCF sidelines, in press conferences, and in UCF’s Rise & Conquer video series, he seemed like a modern, energized, and innovative “players’ coach” who I thought was going to immediately come in and gain respect due to his offensive wizardry, while also being almost a cool older brother type of presence players could rely on and connect with. That’s how it seemed to play out at UCF. The fact that he played here was just a bonus, he could teach the players how to navigate the unique and very tricky fishbowl here but in a way that was healthy and appreciative instead of paranoid and cancerous.
Almost four years later, Frost as a person is an enigma to me. I assume the players like him, but we never hear any stories of special bonds like he had at UCF, let alone undying loyalty like former players still describe with Bo. He says he loves Nebraska and cares about it more than anybody, but he seems utterly miserable and on-edge at all times. Is he funny? Does he go around checking on players in class? Is he cold and distant? Is he rallying the troops? Is he playing the blame game? Is he handing out ice cream cones? I have absolutely no idea what the guy is like.
I thought we as fans were going to know Frost like a family member - I mean we’ve “known” him for 25 years! But it’s like he decided to put on some kind of “stoic Nebraskan” mask the second he arrived in Lincoln. We’re in year four and I can’t think of any unique behind-the-scenes stories about how he runs the program – good or bad! – like we have always learned about our coaches. Maybe it’s solely based on having to face adversity? Maybe the weight of the responsibility and context just immediately zapped him of any spark he had? I have no idea.
I have no interest in salacious unproven rumors, that’s not at all what this post is about. It’s just strange, on top of all the on-the-field catastrophes, that the guy seems like a ghost of his former self. I guess if I had to describe him in one way, it’s a guy who wishes with all of his heart that he never came back home.
