Scott Frost Officially Announces Seven New Assistant Nebraska Football Coaches

As expected, Scott Frost is filling out the Nebraska football coaching staff with much of his staff from Central Florida. The following will be reprising their Central Florida roles:

• Greg Austin, Offensive Line
• Erik Chinander, Defensive Coordinator
• Mike Dawson, Defensive Line
• Jovan Dewitt, Outside Linebackers/Special Teams
• Travis Fisher, Defensive Backs
• Ryan Held, Running Backs
• Mario Verduzco, Quarterbacks

Austin and Held may be familiar names to Husker fans; Austin was a two year starter on the Nebraska offensive line in 2005 and 2006, while Held played in five games as a reserve split end from 1994 through 1997. Held was pressed into service at quarterback in 1994 after Tommie Frazier’s problems with blood clots were diagnosed.

Austin spent three seasons at Oregon as an intern (2010) and graduate assistant (2011-12) with Frost before spending three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles with Chip Kelly. In 2016 and 2017, Austin coached the offensive line for Central Florida.

Held earned a fourth national championship ring with Tennessee as a graduate assistant in 1998 and 1999 before head coaching jobs at multiple small colleges, starting with Peru State. Held reunited with Frost in 2016 at Central Florida.

Chinander met Frost at Northern Iowa, where he was tight ends coach before following Frost to Oregon as an intern in 2010 and graduate assistant (2011-12). Chinander spent one year with the Philadelphia Eagles before returning to Oregon as outside linebackers coach in 2014 and 2015. He’s spent the last two seasons as UCF’s defensive coordinator.

Dawson spent six years at Akron (2006-2008) and Boston College (2009-11) before spending three seasons with Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles. He’s spent the last two seasons was UCF’s defensive line coach.

DeWitt replaced Frost as Northern Iowa’s defensive coordinator in 2009 and then joined Carl Pelini at Florida Atlantic in 2012 and 2013. After two seasons at Army, DeWitt joined Frost’s staff at UCF as linebackers coach. With DeWitt’s designation as outside linebackers coach, it would indicate Frost will eventually name an inside linebackers coach. Fromer Husker Barrett Ruud would seem to fit in this role.

Fisher spent nine seasons in the NFL before returning to UCF, his alma mater in 2013 as a graduate assistant. After a season at Southeast Missouri State, he returned to UCF in 2015 as cornerbacks coach and was retained by Frost to coach the secondary in 2016 and 2017.

Verduzco spent five seasons at Rutgers before moving to Northern Iowa as quarterbacks coach in 2001. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2006 and spent 14 seasons with the Panthers. He’s been Frost’s quarterbacks coach the last two seasons at UCF.

Frost still has two openings on his staff, with a third position being available in January when staffs are enlarged to ten assistant coaches. Not coming at this time from UCF are offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Troy Walters and tight ends/recruiting coordinator Sean Beckton. Walters has been named interim head coach of UCF, and is a candidate to land the job on a permanent basis.

Washington co-offensive coordinator Matt Lubick appears to have lost that role with Chris Petersen’s hiring of Bush Hamdan as sole offensive coordinator on Sunday. Lubick replaced Frost as wide receivers coach at Oregon in 2013 and then as offensive coordinator in 2016. He’s expected by some to eventually be Frost’s offensive coordinator in Lincoln.

Assuming Lubick and Ruud join the staff, then Nebraska will still have one opening with a need to have a tight ends coach.