College Coaching Carousel: Frost hopes to bring UCF magic to Nebraska

Scott Frost may have been the best coach in college football last year, leading the University of Central Florida to an undefeated season after which the Knights declared themselves national champions.

Frost proved that he can turn a program around and find immediate success. The year before he arrived in Central Florida, the team went winless. Under Frost, who was previously Oregon's offensive coordinator, the team won six games in 2016 and secured a bowl berth. Despite losing to Arkansas State in the Cure Bowl, UCF was clearly on the rise. Most expected the Knights to be better in 2017, but no one predicted they'd go undefeated.

Though it may have been a fairy-tale season, Orlando just wasn't home for Frost, who played quarterback at Nebraska and won a national championship in his senior season. He'd always wanted to coach in Lincoln. So, when Mike Riley was relieved of his duties after putting up a 19-19 record over three years, Frost couldn't pass up the opportunity to rebuild his alma mater.

Unlike at UCF, there are sky-high expectations for Frost in Lincoln. Many people believe that if he can turn around the Knights, the Cornhuskers should be a walk in the park. That's not quite how things work, though, and Frost faces a tough challenge with a program that just went 4-8.

Offensive philosophy

Frost is an innovator of the space-and-pace offense that relies on tempo, spacing, and taking advantage of one-on-one matchups. Last year, his UCF offense was the most prolific in college football, scoring 48.2 points per game. Frost likes to employ a run-heavy approach with a heavy dose of zone read, power, and pin-and-pull sweeps. He doesn't run a ton of different concepts. Instead, he plays fast and uses pre-snap movement to disguise his play calls:

Frost likes to get his quarterbacks involved in the running game so that the defense has to account for every available weapon on any given play. His offense puts a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the QB, and it's paramount to Frost's success that he finds one suited to his system. He named true freshman Adrian Martinez his starter, and the dual threat is a perfect fit:

Martinez will have some decent weapons to throw to with Stanley Morgan Jr. and JD Spielman returning. He's also got a solid group blocking for him up front, led by senior guards Tanner Farmer and Jerald Foster.

Ultimately, the Nebraska offense should be better this season. However, there will be a lot of bumps and bruises along the way as the team gets more comfortable with a new system. The future looks bright, though, especially if Martinez proves that the hype surrounding him is real.

Defensive philosophy

When he was hired by Nebraska, Frost brought his UCF defensive coordinator, Erik Chinander, with him.

Chinander plays a 3-4 defense, like the Cornhuskers did under Riley and ex-DC Bob Diaco; however, it is quite different than the team's previous 3-4 defense, mainly because Chinander subscribes to the one-gap philosophy instead of the two-gap.

Chinander isn't afraid to bring an extra defender or two on a blitz, and he loves to let his defensive backs play close to the line of scrimmage:

Chinander opts to keep things simple, relying on an easy-to-use system that allows him to focus on developing his players. Unfortunately for him, he's inheriting one of the least talented defenses in college football. His No. 1 priority this season will be improving a pass rush that recorded just 14 sacks last season, five of them against Illinois.

Safety Aaron Williams is the leader of the defense (and its best player), and he should benefit greatly from an improved pass rush. Senior linebacker Dedrick Young is another solid contributor who should be well-served by the coaching change.

Season outlook

While the future is bright in Lincoln, the present may be a little tough to watch. Nebraska is one of the most storied programs in college football, but the team Frost inherited needs a total rebuild. The Huskers lack talent at key areas, especially defense, and it will take time for Frost to install his system.

This version of the team may not be able to defeat its more competent foes, but Frost has a proven track record of beating less talented opponents. Though a tough midseason stretch will really test Frost's squad, don't be surprised if Nebraska is hovering near .500 when the season ends.

Other entries in this series:

• Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee)
• Joe Moorhead (Mississippi State)
• Herm Edwards (Arizona State)
• Chad Morris (Arkansas)
• Willie Taggart (Florida State)
• Dan Mullen (Florida)
• Kevin Sumlin (Arizona)
• Chip Kelly (UCLA)

John Owning is a football writer at theScore. He has written for Bleacher Report and Football Insiders. He was also the lead NFL content editor at FanRag Sports. John provides analysis on the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News and edits for The Quant Edge. Find him on Twitter @JohnOwning.