The Pressure to Win: Frost and Alberts talk about state of the program at Big Ten Media Days

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - 2022 is a big year for Scott Frost, who is just 15-29 in his four seasons as head coach. That was a big topic at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.

As he enters his fifth season, there’s added pressure to win. But for a man under intense pressure, Frost appeared calm and smiling on Tuesday.

“Any year you’re coaching at a school like Nebraska or any of these schools in the Big Ten, there’s going to be pressure to win,” Frost said. “We’re playing catch up with a lot of teams for a long time. I think we’ve done a good job of closing the gap. We’ve had our chances to win a lot more games than we have. Its our time to do it.”

Frost has yet to have a winning season or lead his alma mater to a bowl game. He took a pay cut to remain the Huskers’ head coach this season.

“We want to see what everyone wants to see, a well-coached football team that doesn’t quit,” Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts said. “(A team) that’s physical and in key moments makes the necessary plays to get us over the hump.”

For this pivotal season, Frost is changing his responsibilities. He’s handed off play calling duties to new Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple. He’s one of four new assistant coaches, along with 16 transfer players.

“What I’ve been pleased about is Scott’s willingness - and he’s done this on his own - to dive into those details, to find solutions and try to correct those because they’re absolutely going to be necessary,” Alberts said.

“I think we have a lot of people at Nebraska - Trev and I - that are both working as hard as we can to make this program as good as we can make it,” Frost said. “It’s great having other people that can understand a little bit about what made Nebraska great in the past and I look forward to more collaboration.”

Many wonder how many games Frost must win to keep his job. Six? Seven? Some believe nine is the minimum. Trev Alberts won’t share the specific number. He says there are too many outside factors and circumstances within a season. Alberts will share this: The Huskers must find a way to win close games this fall.