Scott Frost pushes back on question of making coaching changes sooner

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost had a busy offseason, taking a pay cut and revamping his coaching staff. But after last year’s 3-9 season — one marred by one-score losses — questions rose about why he didn’t make staff changes sooner.

He was asked that this week, and he offered some pushback.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Frost said. “I have too much respect for people that were here before that are great coaches. This just fits what I believe in better.”

Nebraska overhauled its staff over the offseason, particularly on offense. Frost brought in former Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, former TCU running backs coach Bryan Applewhite and former LSU wide receivers coach and recruiting guru Mickey Joseph as part of the overhaul. Now, there’s optimism for a bigger year in Lincoln.

Scott Frost addresses changes in Nebraska running backs room

One of Frost’s biggest additions was Applewhite, and he has some key pieces back from last year to play with in the Nebraska running back room. Rahmir Johnson and Jaquez Yant return after sitting No. 2 and No. 3 on the roster in rushing last year behind quarterback Adrian Martinez, who transferred to Kansas State.

Frost pointed to the RBs as a group that made strides, and it’ll help the offense as a whole.

“That’s a big difference, too,” Frost said of the Cornhuskers running backs. “I talk about the o-line. When you’ve got great running backs, they make o-lines look good. We’re definitely better in the running back room because of the kids in there and the coach. We’re throwing the ball downfield maybe a little more and that backs people up and makes things look better. You can’t point to one player or one coach or one group. I’m just pleased with the progress that I see.”

Nebraska kicks off the college football season in Week 0 against Northwestern in Ireland Nov. 27, meaning fans won’t have to wait much longer to see the new-look Cornhuskers offense.