Nebraska fired coach Scott Frost on Sunday amid a 1-2 start to the season and one day after a stunning loss to Georgia Southern.
“Earlier today I met with Coach Frost and informed him we were making a change in the leadership of our football program, effective immediately,” athletic director Trev Alberts said in a school-released statement. “Scott has poured his heart and soul into the Nebraska football program both as a quarterback and head coach, and I appreciate his work and dedication.
“After the disappointing start to our season, I decided the best path forward for our program was to make a change in our head coaching position. Associate Head Coach Mickey Joseph will serve as our interim head coach for the remainder of the 2022 season.”
Frost, 47, was on the hot seat throughout much of his first four seasons — all with sub-.500 finishes — at Nebraska, but in November, Alberts brought him back on a restructured contract after the coach laid out a blueprint for the program.
Alberts apparently wasn’t willing to wait for improvement. Neither were fans, who chanted “Fire Frost” at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Saturday during Georgia Southern’s 45-42 win.
Nebraska also lost its high-profile season opener to Northwestern, played in Ireland, 31-28 after squandering a 28–17 lead with about nine minutes left in the third quarter due to what critics termed questionable coaching decisions.
The Huskers’ only win on the season came Sept. 3 over FCS program North Dakota.
Frost signed a seven-year, $35 million contract when he arrived at Nebraska in December 2017, fresh off an undefeated season at UCF. He was given a two-year extension in 2019 that pushed the contract through 2026.
He reportedly has a $15 million buyout that would have dropped to $7.5 million had he been fired after Oct. 1.
Nebraska faithful had high hopes when Frost, a Nebraska native, returned to his alma mater. He was the quarterback of the 1997 team that finished 13-0 and earned a share of the national championship.
The Frost era ends, however, with a record of 16-31 (10-26 Big Ten) and no bowl appearances.
Joseph, 54, joined the Nebraska staff this season after five years as an assistant at LSU. He becomes the first Black head coach of the Nebraska football team.
A former Cornhuskers quarterback, Joseph was the head coach at Oklahoma’s Langston University from 2011-12. He compiled a 13-7 record at the NAIA program.
–Field Level Media