The college football season is nearing its end, but UCF head coach Scott Frost is on the verge of leading the Knights to a New Year’s Six bowl game and an AAC championship. He could accomplish those two things within the next 10 days. He is a very in-demand coach, and there have already been lots of rumors about where he might land. Here are the four most likely spots, not counting UCF itself:
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The program which wants Frost the most is the one from Frost’s home state. Frost is a Nebraska native. He went to the University of Nebraska and played for Doctor Tom Osborne, the iconic coach who then became both a congressman from Nebraska and the University of Nebraska’s athletic director for a period of time. Frost to Nebraska would be a feel-good homecoming. It is very realistic that Frost could desire a reunion at Nebraska, which would be his dream job and a place where he would be hailed as a king if he succeeded. The big tension point with Nebraska is if Frost feels he is ready to win at Nebraska right now. Frost could very reasonably think that he needs a few more years of coaching at other places before he feels the time is right to take the job at Nebraska. If Frost plays the waiting game, he will go to one of the other three schools on this list below:
Florida Gators
The drama of Frost is partly dependent on the decision of Chip Kelly, who has reportedly weighed the UCLA and Florida jobs. If Kelly says no to Florida, the Gators would probably put Frost next in line, and it would then be up to Frost to choose between Florida and Nebraska (if he has made his mind up to leave UCF, of course). If Florida is available, it would be very hard for Frost to turn it down. He would be given one of the crown jewel jobs in college football, and if he did really well over five to seven years or so, restoring Florida to the level of quality its fans expect, Frost could leave for Nebraska in 2022 or 2024 and not feel that he bailed out of Florida. It will be very interesting to see what happens if Chip Kelly doesn’t take Florida.
Tennessee Volunteers
There is an alternate scenario in which Kelly does take the Florida job, and Frost plays the waiting game with Nebraska, not wanting to coach the Huskers just yet. If that happens, the Tennessee job could be available, and while Tennessee is a demanding, pressure-packed job, it does not match Florida, which is exponentially more intense. Frost could think that Tennessee is a better mix of potential, a pathway to success, and less pressure. He would not be in the same microscope that he would be if he went to Florida.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks have fired head coach Bret Bielema. He lasted for five seasons with the hogs but he never managed to have any consistent success. Arkansas is still a very attractive destination in the SEC. The cupboard is not bare as the Razorbacks do have some nice pieces – especially in relation to the running game.
The challenge with Arkansas is that their game plan the last few years was to have a big, burly offensive line and pound the ball. That never worked well or translated to the SEC. As a result, the incoming coach may want to change things around quite a bit and the personnel could be an issue. That could make the rebuilding process at Fayetteville take longer than expected. The good news with Arkansas is that unlike Florida, UCLA or some of the other openings, there isn’t as much pressure to succeed. Coaches can comfortably have three or four years and nowadays, that’s quite a luxury. That could make this job attractive.
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