Scott Frost to return to Nebraska in 2022 with restructured contract

Update 5:35 p.m. Frost has fired four of his offensive assistant coaches with two games remaining on the Cornhuskers schedule. They’ll face No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday and No. 19 Iowa on Black Friday.

The Scott Frost era in Lincoln, Nebraska will continue on into the 2022 season - at least for now.

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts and Frost himself released a joint statement on Monday indicating that the embattled head coach will return to the sidelines in 2022 on a restructured contract. Details of the restructure have yet to be released, so it’s currently unclear what has been altered. Frost last received a contract extension in December of 2019, pushing his deal out to December of 2026.

The head coach has come under intense scrutiny throughout the 2021 season as his Cornhuskers have failed to turn the corner under his leadership in four seasons. All seven losses this year have frustratingly come within single digits this year, their latest being a 26-17 loss to No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday. That loss officially eliminated them from bowl eligibility, guaranteeing a fourth consecutive losing season under the “prodigal son” head coach and a fifth straight losing season overall.

The restructured contract was most likely done as a measure to avoid firing him outright this December and having to pay a $20 million buyout. This means that Frost will enter the 2022 season squarely on the hot seat, with the expectation to win immediately or else.

We don’t know what the restructured contract means, but his current deal was extended in 2019, and was scheduled to elapse in 2026.

The Huskers have a relatively light Big Ten schedule next season but their performances in matchups against Oklahoma and Michigan could be an indicator of whether or not he’s long for Lincoln.