J.D. PicKell: Nebraska program feels like they're close

Nebraska under Scott Frost has been a disappointment. Coming off an undefeated season at UCF, Frost hasn’t won more than five games since he got to Nebraska in 2018. A 3-9 finish in 2021 was particularly disappointing because the Cornhuskers played better than their actual record. On3’s J.D. Pickell recently said on “The Hard Count” that the program feels like they are only a few plays away from turning things around.

“Like, inside of that locker room, inside of those coaching offices. What’s the pulse? And the pulse? And the pulse in-house is that we’re really close. Guys we are so close. We are a play here. A play there. A bounce of the ball here. A bounce of the ball there. We’re really close to where we want to be. Because 3-9 is not reflective of this program. Again, everybody talks about this, that,” PicKell said.

“Of those nine losses, eight of them were by one score. That legitimately is a bounce of the ball. So, this offseason, they’re going hard to get over the top. They’ve done a lot in the transfer portal — around 15 guys into their program now. The most notable to me, Casey Thompson, transferring from Texas to Nebraska. The quarterback to me, is like the engine of the car. And to go in and replace the engine. To have a, in my opinion, an upgrade at the engine for this car’s gonna get them in a lot better position. At the very least, they’ll be in better position to win more games this year. So, the feeling is, we’re close,” PicKell said.

Can Casey Thompson turn Nebraska around?

PicKell is obviously very high on Casey Thompson’s potential at Nebraska. He feels that replacing Adrian Martinez with Thompson will be enough to get Nebraska to a bowl game. That’s something they haven’t done under Frost. In turn, that could save Frost’s job, as he’s feeling his seat heat up the longer he goes without a winning season.

A good year in 2022 could propel Nebraska moving forward. If they build up momentum, they could then take the next step, and compete for double-digit wins in 2023.

Of course, if Nebraska can’t clear this six-win bar that J.D. Pickell is setting for them, there are going to be major questions in Lincoln. The first revolves around Scott Frost’s future. Is he the right person for the job? If the answer is no, then you need to fire him, and find a replacement. Who that replacement is, becomes a difficult question to answer. Frost was the perfect fit. No one will seem as sure-fire as he was.

For a proud fanbase, this could end in an existential crisis. Where does Nebraska stand in modern college football?

On3’s Daniel Morrison also contributed to this article.