Jeremy Pernell: Parsing the Huskers’ Coaching Possibilities

The best candidates will have no shortage of options

All Huskers photo illustration/Kirby Lee photo-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we've had a couple weeks to digest Scott Frost's firing, it's a good time to start looking forward and take a dive into some potential candidates. Trev Alberts will be aided by Collegiate Sports Associates, a prominent search firm the program also used during its most recent athletic director search.

Frost's removal was probably emotional for some supporters. Some fans adhere to the false narrative that "if he can't do it, no one can."

The fan base had been pretty split on Frost for the better part of two years. While I think that divide had narrowed significantly by the time he was fired, I think the insights from Mike'l Severe regarding some of the behind-the-scenes dysfunction going on with the program opened the eyes of many others still on the fence. Brenden Stai inadvertently airing some of his grievances on a hot mic a few days later only reinforces what some of us have known.

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While some Frost apologists will never accept it, Severe and Stai echoed stories I've been told from several sources I trust dating back to 2019. In fact, I've heard things even more appalling regarding Frost's personal behavior and overall work ethic and approach toward his job.

Regardless, let's look forward like Trev Alberts suggested. The good thing is Frost's gone and now the program can take steps forward to hopefully get itself out of the doldrums.

Before we talk about who I consider the best candidates, I think it's important to identify the core principles and overall characteristics  Alberts is prioritizing during his search.

"Be tough, win the line of scrimmage. Do the fundamental things that teams need to do to win games." Alberts said during his press conference. For the better part of 40 years, it was the calling card of teams coached by Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. From 1970 through 1997, the Huskers had an All-America lineman in 25 of 28 seasons. How foreign does that feel now?

Fans have yearned for a return to the days where their beloved Huskers dominated the lines of scrimmage. Win or lose, teams knew they were in for a physical game when they played Nebraska. We haven't seen that from a Husker team since 2009 or 2010, at least defensively. You'd have to go back 20-plus years for that feeling on offense.

Alberts basically described the foundation of the best teams in the conference. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, Minnesota, they all excel at identifying talent that fits their culture and identity - and they're adept at developing that talent. Regardless of the offensive or defensive systems they employ, they're physical on both lines of scrimmage and are detailed in the fundamentals. For decades, no team in the country exemplified that like Nebraska. Alberts wants that to be the foundation of the Cornhuskers again.

Before I delve into the six or seven candidates I've identified as the best, most realistic options for this program, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about interim head coach Mickey Joseph. For all the misplaced adoration that fans had for Scott Frost when he returned to coach Nebraska, it's actually Joseph who deserves that respect. Joseph has taken his job at Nebraska more seriously than Frost ever did. Whether it was as its wide receivers coach or now as its interim head coach, Joseph has given 100% to his alma mater. This place matters to him, and you've seen that in his work ethic.

I was effusive in my praise of Joseph after he was added to the staff in the offseason. He's the best assistant coaching hire that any Husker head coach has made since Frank Solich hired Bo Pelini to be his defensive coordinator in 2003. And Joseph has been as good as advertised.

Known for his track record as an elite recruiter and great developer of talent, Joseph has made his presence felt in both areas during his short time in Lincoln. The players in his room have shown improvement, and he's made waves on the recruiting trail.

What can he do to get the interim label removed at the end of the season? At a minimum, he needs to get the team to a bowl game, but even more so, he probably needs to finish 6-2 coming out of this bye week. I can't see it happening, but doing so would show the team has responded to his leadership and that he beat a handful of really solid teams along the way.

Would that be enough? Trev Alberts said all the right things at his press conference. "I think we have the opportunity to hire an outstanding coach who can lead our program," Alberts said. "I’d love to see Mickey grow into that. We’ll just see where it goes. But we’ll do a national search and if, at that point, Mickey is an obvious candidate, he’ll be part of that conversation as well." Would it be anything more than a courtesy interview, though?

I like that Joseph has tried to put his stamp on the team. He immediately changed up the practice schedule and has emphasized tackling (much) more during those practices. Missing 37 tackles in your first three games will do that. Nebraska is averaging 13.5 missed tackles per game, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks 126th out of 131 FBS teams.

After losing to Oklahoma in his first game as coach, Joseph fired defensive coordinator Erik Chinander, whose defense this season has made Bob Diaco's (2017) and Kevin Cosgrove's (2007) units look like the '85 Bears. Joseph promoted Bill Busch to fill the role. Prior to joining the Husker staff, the pair had worked together for three years LSU.

Another huge aspect to take into consideration with Joseph is the staff he would put together. When he sits down with Alberts, he will need to absolutely knock Trev's socks off with some of the names he has lined up. Being so inexperienced, Joseph will need to have prominent, experienced coordinators on the hook to join him in Lincoln. But it would have to extend beyond that. He'd need well-known position coaches with strong reputations for development and recruiting acumen. Joseph will need to illustrate the blueprint of his plans to build this program and sell that vision to Alberts.

I think the staff he would bring in is more important to his chances than the wins he can squeeze out of this team. After all, he didn't foster a terrible culture. He didn't fail to develop this roster. He didn't train these players with a strength and conditioning regimen that's 20 years outdated. He's playing the cards he was dealt, but he didn't get to shuffle the deck.

Being completely hypothetical here, I think he'd have to come to Trev with; "I am going to keep Busch and Applewhite and move on from everyone else on the staff. My brother Vance has agreed to come and run the defense and I'm gonna hand the offense over to Tom Herman. I'm going to bring Ed Orgeron in here to coach the D-line and be my assistant head coach." Again, completely hypothetical, but that's the sort of staff I think he'd have to bring to Alberts.

But I just can't see a scenario where he gets the permanent gig. Alberts knows he has to get this hire right. Joseph's résumé just isn't strong enough. He's only been a position coach at the Power Five level for six seasons. Take away his Husker roots, and fans would go ballistic over hiring a coach with his limited background.

No matter who gets the job, I think he needs to find a spot on his staff for Joseph - if he wants it. The majority of coaches typically retain a coach or two from the previous staff. Those holdover assistants help the players through the coaching transition. They help sell the new process and culture to the players, and they help give a rundown of the roster to the new coaches.

None of the assistants who were part of Frost's staff at UCF should be kept. The culture on this team is abysmal - they all gotta go. Bryan Applewhite could get some consideration, but I feel Mickey Joseph and Bill Busch in particular would be great choices. None of those guys are "Frost guys"; in fact, Busch and Joseph were so apoplectic over how the program was being run that they voiced their concerns to Trev Alberts. They're both tremendous coaches and dynamic recruiters. Most importantly, they both love Nebraska and care about this program. Either would be a tremendous asset to the new coach.

Listening to Alberts during his press conference, I got the impression he's going to hire an established head coach. Meaning a current head coach or someone who has been a head coach in the recent past. Nebraska isn't a program where someone should be learning on the job. For those reasons, I don't see Alberts hiring a coordinator or position coach with no head coaching experience. That eliminates guys like Josh Gattis (Miami offensive coordinator), Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin defensive coordinator), Alex Grinch (USC defensive coordinator) and Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma offensive coordinator).

It also excludes a guy like Dell McGee, who I am a big fan of. McGee is the run game coordinator and running backs coach at Georgia. He's been Kirby Smart's right hand man since he took over the Bulldogs in 2016. I think McGee is a rising star in the profession, but it's just too risky to hire him or one of the coordinators I mentioned, even though all five of those coaches deserve a chance to run their own program.

I also think Alberts is going to prioritize a coach within the Power Five conferences. So that means coaches like Jamey Chadwell (Coastal Carolina), Curt Cignetti (James Madison), Jeff Monken (Army), Charles Huff (Marshall), Sean Lewis (Kent State), Jason Candle (Toledo) and Jeff Traylor (UTSA) are likely longshots even though each of them deserves the opportunity of running a more prominent program in the near future.

Nebraska is a good job, but that's not to say Alberts won't have to sell the potential of the program to some of his A-list guys. The best candidates are already in a comfortable situation and will also have their share of options. Arizona State and Georgia Tech are two other Power Five programs looking for a head coach and we're not even in October yet. There will invariably be more. Most expect Auburn to join that group by season's end.

The Tigers could prove to be a thorn in Nebraska's side with a few of their top guys. There are a couple of coaches on my list that Auburn will (or should) certainly target.

It's advantageous for Alberts and Nebraska to have a head start on the process, and by all accounts they've hit the ground running. At this point, potential interest is being established through back channels and conversations are being handled by third parties. Collegiate Sports Associates will help research and connect prospective candidates to Alberts. In the coming days, I'll be highlighting my top candidates.

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