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Bill Moos Q&A: Scott Frost is ‘just what I want and what Nebraska’s needed’
LINCOLN, Neb. — As talk nationally heats up about the job status of coaches at Texas and Michigan, Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos made clear Wednesday in an interview with The Athletic that he continues to fully back third-year coach Scott Frost.
“I think I got a great football coach who’s got a tough rebuilding challenge that he’s making progress with,” Moos said. “I’ve liked a lot of the things that we’re doing. We’re working through some of the challenges of this unique year. But he’s here with me as long as I’m here. He’s just what I want and what Nebraska’s needed.
“There’s no reason for Scott Frost to be concerned about his job.”
Frost is 10-19 overall and 1-4 this season after a 26-20 loss Friday at Cockeye, the Huskers’ 11th defeat in 15 games decided by one score under Frost. Moos, hired in October 2017, fired Frost’s predecessor, Mike Riley, in November of that year after he posted a 19-19 mark in three seasons.
Frost has faced increased scrutiny this season, juggling quarterbacks while repeated mistakes by Nebraska in late-game situations and on special teams have cost it opportunities to win.
“It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t have a schedule that we intended to have,” Moos said, “even the modified one. Having said that, we’ve shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We have a chance to finish strong. It’s about getting experience. We’re getting better players, and we have a chance to get more of them.”
Frost is under contract at Nebraska through 2026.
“There’s a reason he has a long-term contract,” Moos said, “because I perceive it to be a long job in regards to getting us back on our feet. I think in all aspects, he’s done a very good job. He’s good with the media. He’s very passionate. He wears things on his sleeve, because he loves Nebraska.”
Circumstances around the coronavirus pandemic have hampered the Huskers’ progress, Moos said. Nebraska, along with many programs, lost the majority of its spring practice. It has relied on youth, especially on offense, this season against a Big Ten-only schedule.
Five of Nebraska’s 2020 signees, all from Florida, have left the program since May. Frost said this week that the Huskers need to be more selective in their evaluation process with some prospects.
“We have to make sure that we’re recruiting the right kids,” the coach said, “not just the right athletes. We have to make sure that we’re going to recruit the type of kid that’s going to flourish at Nebraska.”
Moos echoed Frost’s comments, saying that aspects of this abnormal year and a season played with no fans in attendance contributed to the difficulty of making new players feel at home.
“These kids are coming in here, being sold on the brand,” Moos said, “but also on 90,000 in a sea of red at Memorial Stadium and the marching band and the tunnel walk and the energy on the campus. And they’re making friends.
“We can’t offer any of that this year. Neither can any other campus, but that’s a big part of what we sell. It’s easy to get homesick. It’s easy to get frustrated. A lot of times that passionate fan base can raise your spirits when you run through the tunnel. It’s just not here this year.”
Frost understands the culture here, Moos said, plus the history at Nebraska and the “new-age athlete.”
“It’s all going to come together,” Moos said. “When I hired Mike Leach (at Washington State), I knew it was going to be three or four years of tough sledding and that all aspects of the program had to be addressed. Some of that was true here with Scott. I do believe when you’re taking over a program that has been down and trending in that direction, in all reality, until every player in that locker room has had that head coach in their parents’ living room, it’s not going to be completely there.”
And Moos, who turns 70 next month, plans to stay alongside Frost for the entirety of the rebuild.
“I want to see it through,” Moos said. “I want to see us competitive in all of our sports. I want to see the new (football) facility built. We’ve got really good leadership on campus and in the system. I feel good. I’m healthy. There’s a lot of people in the industry that are my age and older.
“I still think I’ve got a lot to offer, so I have no immediate plans to do anything other than give everything I’ve got at the University of Nebraska.”
Here’s more with Moos from Wednesday:
Are you comfortable if Frost keeps his coaching staff intact after this season?
I’ve never in my 30 years as a Division I athletic director told a coach he has to make changes with his staff. At the end of the day, that’s up to him, because he’s the only one that answers to me. But we will sit and discuss his coaches. We did that last year. And he made some changes that I think were positive changes, but I, in no way, told him that he had to.
I like his guys. Good chemistry on a coaching staff is as good as good chemistry in the locker room. I think he has real good chemistry. They work well together. They respect each other. They’re diverse enough that I think new ideas are brought to the table. That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes. I just am not aware of any. I know it’s tough on him because so many of these guys aren’t just good coaches but they’re good friends and they’re good people.
Minnesota and Michigan are sidelined by the virus this week. They’re scheduled on Dec. 12 to visit Lincoln and Columbus, Ohio. If Nebraska and Ohio State are without opponents next week, would you consider a rematch?
I haven’t talked to Scott about that. Sitting in my chair, I would welcome that. It goes along with Nebraska wanting to play football. We want to play. I honestly think Minnesota will be back playing. But who knows? I would welcome that, to give our kids another chance to play. And we know how to prepare for them.
What’s happening with the Big Ten and its Dec. 19 Champions Week?
I definitely think we’re going to be playing as it was designed. We have our backs against the wall, on whether we’re going to be playing in a couple of domed stadiums or on campus. There are arguments on both sides. One is, of course, protecting the footprint, which has been important from the beginning. The other is, playing that late, we are most probably going to deal with inclement weather. But the Buffalo Bills are playing in it. The Green Bay Packers play in it. We certainly can, too.
Will the league stick to its cross-divisional plan for that final week?
I think there will be some flexibility. Minnesota-Wisconsin will be an example (of a rivalry game that could be preserved). But there’s no firm decision there. And we’d look to avoid rematches. (Nebraska) wouldn’t be playing Penn State.
What’s the status of the Illinois game, scheduled for Dublin, Ireland, next August?
Right now, it’s still on. It’s being monitored by Anthony Travel. Typically, there would have been a lot of tickets sold by now. I think people are hesitant, because of where this virus is going and how it’s going in Ireland. It has not been canceled. I really look forward to playing over there, but there are a lot of factors, and we will continue to observe and assess as we go.
Considering the promising news on COVID-19 vaccines, what’s your outlook on the return of fans to athletic events at Nebraska?
I follow the news on vaccines real close. And it is extremely encouraging. How they will be distributed and when, of course, is still being discussed. I personally don’t really think it will have a positive impact on college athletics until we start to get into the 2021-22 academic year.
I think we need to continue to focus on the testing protocols and hope that we can make advances in somewhat of a fast manner — but not hold our breath about that. We have conference restrictions and local restrictions. I’d love in the spring, with this volleyball team, to have at least some percentage of our venue filled with fans. But I think at this point, we’ve got to figure that’s not going to happen.
With the $155 million North Stadium Expansion Project up for approval before the Board of Regents on Friday, what’s your outlook for a timeline on construction?
We are wrapping up our design. Depending upon the vote on Friday, we can hopefully put the shovel in the ground in late spring or early summer. That would basically back us up by one year, so we would occupy the building in the summer of 2023.
How much has changed with the proposed facility since renderings were released last fall?
We’re looking at holding off on certain aspects of it in the best interest of football. We feel this is going to be a real asset in the recruiting competition. That’s what we need to focus on. And we realize that if our fundraising efforts continue as they are, we could get the entire facility finished.
The building will look, from the outside, like it’s complete. We are looking at having the flexibility to phase pieces of it in on the inside and also to have parts of the North and West Stadium that we’re occupying now be vacated and reprogrammed.
It’s an exciting time. It’s going to be a fabulous building that’s an asset to our entire athletic program. And hopefully, we’re going to be able to get that shovel in the ground and get some cranes and bulldozers on campus. Talking about it is all fine and dandy, but when you see the actual construction occurring and the building coming out of the ground, that gets people excited — those who are thinking about choosing Nebraska and those who are already playing here.
