How Husker Fans Affected Scott Frost’s Return Home

How Husker Fans Affected Scott Frost's Return Home

By: Connor Taurins

Questions swirled around the hot seat of Head Coach Mike Riley during the entirety of the 2017 football season. The seat grew hotter after Nebraska decided to cut ties with Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst and hire Washington State's former AD, Bill Moos. Optimism was low as the season continued on. Embarrassing losses to Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State, and Iowa made it hard for Husker fans to imagine another year under Mike Riley.  

The carousel of head-coaches for the 2017 season gave Husker fans hope. The list included the names of popular head coaches from around the league in Chip Kelly, Jimbo Fisher, Dan Mullen, and the one coach every Cornhusker fan had their eyes on, Scott Frost.  

Interest for Frost to return home and replace Riley began after Nebraska's opening game of the season on September 3, 2017. The unimpressive win over Arkansas State left Husker fans searching for a new coach, literally. The volume of searches for Scott Frost appeared to be much higher compared to other popular coaches available at the time. The graph included displays this large gap between candidates for the job at the time.

As the 2017 sourly progressed, Husker fans felt united with optimism as they wished for Frost to return. The rumors of a Mike Riley firing spread throughout the college football globe. This lead to the decomittment of several key players Riley had recruited. The recruiting class and season fell apart. The season had ended and Mike Riley was fired. Two weeks later Scott Frost was announced as the new head coach of Nebraska after winning the AAC Championship with his undefeated UCF team. 

The University of Nebraska understood what the Nebraska Football team needed, but also took into account what the fans wanted as well. This exciting hire gives energy back into an exhausted fan base that's endured too many losing seasons. When looking at attendance numbers for college football across the country, it's unheard of to sell out a Spring game. Nebraska did exactly that in nearly 24 hours. The excitement the fans have for Frost's first season isn't going away any time soon. The same spirit Husker fans had that brought Frost to Nebraska will be in full force on September 1, 2018, when Akron visits Nebraska for the first game under Head Coach Scott Frost.