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Search Firm: Whom should Nebraska hire to replace Mike Riley?
— -- Nebraska?is in the market for a head coach after the dismissal of Mike Riley, who was fired on Saturday, hours after the Cornhuskers completed their worst season since 1961. Riley, brought in from Oregon State?to replace Bo Pelini, went 19-19 (12-14 Big Ten) in three years.
Nebraska faces a crucial juncture, having failed to make much of an impression so far as a Big Ten member. The school hired athletic director Bill Moos in October largely in order to get this hire right.
College football reporters Andrea Adelson and Mitch Sherman join me on ESPN's search firm to dissect the Nebraska situation. It's clear who is at the top of Nebraska's list: UCF?coach Scott Frost, a former Huskers quarterback and Wood River, Nebraska, native. But is Nebraska as high on Frost's list of potential suitors?
There's plenty to discuss about this once-elite job and the other candidates who will be in play in case Frost doesn't return to Lincoln.?
Where the Nebraska job stands
Adam Rittenberg: A program that had incredible success in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s has clearly fallen off but still has great resources. Nebraska is in a very winnable division, the Big Ten West. The Huskers have new leadership with Bill Moos. But the question remains: How good of a job is this for potential candidates?
Mitch Sherman: It's still a good job. It's not the job that it once was, and it never will be. Nebraska is in a unique spot in that it has so much history and so much that the fans remember, and I think it has become a hindrance for this program. Nebraska has different expectations than any other school in the Big Ten West, and it has resources on par with or better than any school in the Big Ten West, but its recent history is a far cry from any of the top teams. That creates a tenuous spot for Moos. He's learning very quickly about what Nebraska fans desire. I don't go along with the stereotype that it's 1995 again or bust, but in comparison to Wisconsin, to Iowa?and certainly to everyone else in Nebraska's division, the power players around this program have an expectation that is higher.
Andrea Adelson: I hear similar things to what people were saying about the Miami Hurricanes. In the 1980s and 1990s, Miami and Nebraska were both dominant, they were winning championships, there was a rivalry. And then they couldn't find ways to win. Miami had different problems, NCAA investigations, but a lot of people were asking that same question: Could Miami ever be back? From what we've seen this season from Miami, with the right coach, yes, Nebraska can win again. It isn't in the same place as Miami with the natural recruiting base, so it's going to be a little bit harder, but they have resources there. They probably have better facilities than Miami does, and they have this history and tradition, which Miami has used to its advantage under Mark Richt. The perfect head coach would get Nebraska back to a spot where it's competing for championships.
Rittenberg: The recruiting element for Nebraska has changed a lot in the Big Ten. A lot of coaches tell me it's harder for Nebraska to recruit now because it doesn't have a natural tie to Texas. They're not going to play games there every season. Mike Riley actually has recruited pretty well. He has gone into California and brought in some players, but Nebraska does seem to be in an odd spot because of its location. That's going to be huge, as far as whom they're looking for, whether he can recruit in the same territory as the other Big Ten teams.
Sherman: The foundation for Nebraska's success once was, and I believe always will have to be, those kids from the small towns around Nebraska and from the population centers in Nebraska who can bring a certain kind of pride to the program. But that's a very incomplete portion of what Nebraska needs. In the Big 12, Nebraska had that identity of what it wanted to do. It had a certain percentage of players from California. You had a base in Florida, a base in other parts of the South, in Texas. This shifting of conferences, although they're seven years in, they've yet to find that comfort zone to bring players in and build championship-caliber teams. So job No. 1 of the new coach is to create that identity that Nebraska has lacked for so long.
What Nebraska wants
Adelson: They need somebody who understands Nebraska, who understands the expectations, who understands how to recruit to that specific part of the country, who understands and embraces the history, the tradition and the culture. I know it sounds exactly like Scott Frost, but when I look at Miami, Mark Richt worked there because he went to school there, and he was completely familiar with what it takes to win there. So for a school like Nebraska, it is more important perhaps than some of these other schools to bring somebody in who has a unique understanding of what it takes to win there, and how to win there, more than anywhere else, because it's in such a different spot than, say, a Tennessee?or a Florida.
Rittenberg: We've seen examples of hiring familiarity, and it hasn't worked out, but I think they at least need familiarity with the region. If it's not a Nebraska person, somebody who has either worked at Wisconsin or Iowa or knows those types of programs, because I think there's a model there. We're talking about winning the Big Ten West here. We're not talking about winning the SEC West or the ACC Atlantic. It's a division with one longtime national power, and that's Nebraska. Wisconsin has emerged as a recent power, but it has to be somebody who can see that and apply it to a program that has a lot of other things going for it.
Sherman: Nebraska is searching for a coach for the fourth time in 14 years. And the one constant Nebraska has always had in those coaches is finding the right guy from the outside. I don't think Nebraska has done enough looking inward. Many of the problems Nebraska has had aren't about the coach. They're systemic issues that can be traced all the way back to getting lazy in some of the habits that were built during the great times of this program.
The candidates
UCF coach Scott Frost: He checks all the boxes. He knows what it takes to win there, having been the starting quarterback in 1996 and 1997. He knows what it takes to recruit there. He understands the fan base, the expectations, the pressure that comes with being the Nebraska coach. He has also been involved with many offensive schemes in his career as a player and a coach. He has been able to meld so many philosophies into what you see at UCF, so he'd be able to bring this unique understanding about what they would need to do to win there. It's not necessarily the option again, but a lot of the spread principles are based on option principles, so he has the ability to bring a philosophy based on where he has been. -- Adelson
The best things about Scott Frost also raise some red flags at Nebraska because the state and the fan base are so in love with the idea of bringing back their favorite son. If he returns and does not meet expectations, there's going to be a level of disappointment because of what they see him doing now at UCF. It is clear that Frost is Candidate No. 1 in Nebraska's eyes, but this opportunity poses some risk for him. -- Sherman
I like the varied recruiting experience Frost would bring. At Oregon, where he was an assistant, you don't have a lot of local resources, so you have to recruit nationally. Now he's had a chance to recruit in a really fertile area in Florida. You need to have a creative recruiting approach at Nebraska, and because of his experiences since he left Nebraska, he'll be able to deliver that. -- Rittenberg
Wyoming?coach Craig Bohl: If Scott Frost is a grand slam hire, Craig Bohl is a single or a double, at best, at least in terms of perception. But the most important thing is what happens two years down the road, and Craig Bohl is arguably better positioned than Frost to know what to do to build Nebraska back to what it wants to be. Talk about a place where it's difficult to recruit. His past two jobs (he was at North Dakota State prior to Wyoming) make Nebraska look like a fertile ground. He has a great connection to the city of Lincoln. He coached under Tom Osborne, which Scott Frost didn't do. Craig Bohl would bring some excitement heading into the 2018 season. --? Sherman
Former Arkansas?and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema: The appeal of Bielema is that he had success at the one program Nebraska should be trying to emulate: Wisconsin.? Bielema earned three Big Ten titles there, continued the success Barry Alvarez had and recruited at a pretty good level. The Arkansas run didn't go great, but as a former player at Iowa and coach at Wisconsin, Bielema has had success in the region. --? Rittenberg
Iowa State?coach Matt Campbell: He's clearly worth a call. He's a guy with roots in the state of Ohio, so he could recruit the most important state in the Big Ten footprint. He has also done a nice job recruiting in Iowa, which isn't easy. He has recruited against Big Ten schools already. I don't know if Nebraska would be willing to pay his large buyout, though. --? Rittenberg
He's a fit culturally, but after two years at Iowa State, he isn't ready to move on to a job unless it's at the absolute top of his list, and this is not. --? Sherman
Mississippi State?coach Dan Mullen: Everyone else seems to be pursuing Mullen, so why not the Huskers? He has spent a while in the SEC but might want a change of pace in a division not nearly as demanding. Mullen can develop quarterbacks and knows how to find talent at places not optimally located. --? Rittenberg
Boise State?coach Bryan Harsin: He actually has the same record in his first three seasons as Chris Petersen had there. Last year wasn't a great year for Boise State, but the Broncos bounced back nicely this season. They could win the Mountain West. They're in the CFP rankings. Harsin has spent a lot of time in the South and the Northwest. He doesn't have a lot in Nebraska's region, but he could be an option. --? Rittenberg
Texas A&M?coach Kevin Sumlin: If Sumlin is fired, he would bring several positives to Lincoln. He can instantly revive Nebraska's recruiting in Texas as well as in West Coast states such as Arizona, where the Huskers have found talent. Sumlin also is a Big Ten guy (former Purdue?player and coach) who understands the league. -- Rittenberg
Georgia Tech?coach Paul Johnson: He doesn't really recruit just in Georgia. He has to spread out and recruit different types of players. He has been successful everywhere he has been. He runs an offense that can be successful at Nebraska. I think he's worth a phone call. --? Adelson
Bringing back the option to Nebraska would appease a certain percentage of the fan base. Is it viable in the Big Ten? It probably is. If it works in the ACC, then why not? It would allow Nebraska to be a changeup on every team's schedule. -- Sherman
The Search Firm recommends: UCF coach Scott Frost
Hey, we're not the first search firm paid the big bucks to provide an obvious answer. Frost is the top young coaching prospect of the cycle and would delight Husker fans with his homecoming. His innovative offense, ability to recruit different regions and understanding of what it takes to win at Nebraska make him the best choice by far.
Now, if Frost chooses to remain at UCF or coach elsewhere in 2018 ...
We believe Nebraska must hire a coach who has had success in the Power 5. Although Craig Bohl makes sense, Nebraska fans need a bigger name, especially after the disappointment of not landing Frost. We think Mullen, Sumlin or Bielema would give Nebraska a boost after the lackluster Riley years. All three have shown a good eye for talent, and Bielema has already won big in the Big Ten.
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