ESPN reveals names to watch for new Nebraska head coach following dismissal of Scott Frost

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are moving forward in a new direction. Scott Frost has been fired and now athletic director Trev Alberts is leading a national search for the football program’s next head coach.

Mickey Joseph will serve as Nebraska’s interim head coach for the remainder of the 2022 season. He is a possibility to earn the head coaching gig depending on how the rest of this season goes, but there will undoubtedly be a wide array of names mentioned for the job.

ESPN has already put out a list of candidates for the Nebraska head coaching position, with plenty of current and former coaches included in addition to multiple coordinators across the nation as well.

Trev Alberts spoke on Frost’s firing on Sunday, where he explained that resources will not be an impediment and the Huskers are willing to “meet market demand” when it comes to compensating a new head coach. After paying the full $15 million buyout to fire Frost now instead of that number being cut in half in a couple of weeks, Nebraska is clearly eager to move forward in a new direction.

ESPN’s names to watch for Nebraska’s next head coach

ESPN listed a bunch of names as possibilities as Nebraska’s next head coach, and some of the inclusions are intriguing ones.

The full list from ESPN includes head coaches Lance Leipold (Kansas), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati), Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers), Dave Doeren (NC State), Bryan Harsin (Auburn), and Chris Klieman (Kansas State). Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph is also listed, as is Texas special assistant and former longtime TCU headman Gary Patterson and former Texas and Houston coach Tom Herman.

Herman and Patterson are interesting names to watch, as both bring extensive experience to the table. Doeren coaches a NC State team that is currently ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25, while Fickell and Klieman each coach programs that are just outside of the rankings. Campbell’s name has continued to pop up, as has Leipold’s. Harsin’s future at Auburn remains uncertain, as does Rhule’s with the Panthers in the NFL.

Additionally, three coordinators were mentioned as possibilities by ESPN: Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin defensive coordinator), Bill O’Brien (Alabama offensive coordinator), and Alex Grinch (USC defensive coordinator).

Leonhard is a quickly rising name in the head coaching ranks, and could be an intriguing option for Nebraska. Grinch is also a quality assistant coach under Lincoln Riley, and O’Brien would bring experience as a head coach and an assistant at the NFL and college levels.