Scott Frost Press Conference Transcript (Feb. 28)

Nebraska Football Press Conference
Feb. 28, 2022
Head Coach Scott Frost
 
Opening Statement:
“Welcome back. We got an early start to spring this year. A lot of good things about that. It is great to be back on the field with all the players. It has been really energizing and invigorating having the new faces around in the coaching staff and on the team. There is going to be a lot of hard work and a lot of good things happening. There is a lot of work left to do. A lot of pieces do not make a good team. You need to bring those pieces together to make a good team. We have a long way to go in that regard, but it has been a lot of fun being around the guys again. They were really anxious to get started so it was a good start to spring.”
 
On quarterbacks getting reps while competing for the starting spot:
“We will just get as many reps as we can number one, and we are splitting teams. We had two team works going at a time so it doubles the reps, and we are a little short at a couple positions but we need to keep doing that for some of the positions (because) there are a lot of guys to make sure everybody gets the reps they need.”
 
On offensive cleanliness: 
“There was some sloppy out there and it was not all on the field. We have some new coaches that need to learn where they need to go for each period and do things in practice. Guys need to get familiar with things. You need to get familiar with some new concepts and ideas and terms and signals and places to go in practice and that is coaches and players alike. That was kind of expected today but it will get better fast.”
 
On which quarterback took the first snap: 
“I cannot tell you for sure because I have not watched it yet, and I was with the twos today with the young guys when we split so I do not need know for sure.”
 
On the top group of quarterbacks: 
“We have been rotating today but I was down with the young guys. (Heinrich) Haarberg was down there. Richard (Torres) was down there. (Matt) Masker was down there and I saw Logan (Smothers) down there so there will be a rotation and again it will be a fight.”
 
On coaches meshing together: 
“I think it is a work in progress. It has been great sitting in a room with smart guys that see the game a little different and have some different ideas, but it is amazing how much you have to go through to make sure you are on the same page with everything. The name of every blitz and pressure that you bring. The name of every front and what we call the coverages and what we call concepts and what the signal is for the concepts and how we handle certain things in protection. To marry things together is a lot of work and we have been putting in a lot of work, but I am sure there are some stones unturned that we will get to through spring.”
 
On Casey Thompson’s thumb injury and if that will limit him in the spring:
“He will not be limited at all. I think he is still in the training room working with it and getting it loosened up and feeling normal again, but it does not seem to affect him right now.”
 
On the offensive line coming together: 
“We have depth at the offensive line right now and a lot of guys that had a good first day. Obviously we are missing two of our hopefully main pieces and those guys are taking mental reps. What is great about that is we are going to get reps for a lot of other guys to try and compete and see who the guys are going to be on the field. We have to field the best five guys and get them out there, but we have a long time to try to figure that out where everybody fits and how it all comes together.”
 
On maintaining coaching continuity:
“I mean there are challenges to it obviously but I cannot say enough about the guys that are here. What they are demanding out of their room, what I have seen from them in recruiting already, there are a lot of things to work through with new guys just getting familiar with each other and familiar with what the expectations are and what everybody is thinking about communication but it is a fun challenge too.  Like I said these guys are bringing in fresh ideas and a lot of energy and I think it is going to benefit us.”
 
On the value of continuity: 
“Continuity is going to be hard especially in regards to your roster. That is just the way college football is moving. You are going to have to do a great job as a coaching staff every year plugging in some new pieces and teaching guys a lot faster. The days of recruiting 25 freshmen and keeping them until they are in their third year and training them and getting ready to play it is just not quite going to be that way anymore. Some guys it is and with some other guys you are going to have new pieces on your team in winter and maybe even in summer. We have to do a great job as a coaching staff getting them on the same page as everybody else.”
 
On the new staff:
“I would just say it is great to have Coach (Mark) Whipple here and that gave me a chance to go and spend more time with the defense but we are all pulling the rope in the same direction. We are on the field coaching. There are 150 guys there are plenty of people to talk to and plenty of problems on the field to fix for all of us.”
 
On special teams work in the spring: 
“I thought we made some improvements last year. I think consistency and getting more guys on special teams is a big thing. We need our starters on some of our special teams units and we need complete buy-in from everybody. I think some of the assistants are really putting a bug in some of the guys’ ears and making sure they are contributing. Coach (Bill) Busch was in a meeting this morning and did a great job. We started off with kickoff team today and energy enthusiasm and detail were all great so we need to keep improving on those things and keep getting more talent on the field.”
 
On how much time he gets to spend with the defense this spring compared to previous years: 
“Yeah some but I just had to carry a lot of the load on offense or I did however you want to look at it. I still expect to but I know they are in capable hands if I need to go and spend some time on the other side.”
 
On initial impressions on Bill Busch: 
“He was with us last year and I think a lot of the improvement we made was because of him schematically. Now he has a voice which is great running the meetings and there is not two layers of communication then. Right away you can see a lot of buy-in from players and a lot of detail from coach that I think is going to make us better.”
 
On how Bill Busch helped make improvements last year: 
“He was able to help us off the field and maybe get ahead and scout and give us some schematic ideas.”
 
On developing a winning mentality: 
“I am really impressed with the leadership that we have right now. Garrett Nelson has done an unbelievable job on defense throughout all of winter conditioning. I am really impressed with some of the new guys and just the energy they are bringing and the look in their eye to be great on the field, and I am not saying we did not have that but some of these guys just really seem to have that. I want to be on the field with a bunch of competitors that when they have the chance to make a play when it matters they are going to make it. Some of these guys certainly give you that impression. I have not seen them in those situations yet here at Nebraska but certainly impressed with the energy and leadership we are getting right away.”
 
On if it’s challenging for the new quarterbacks to come in and be a leader: 
“Yes and no. Those guys have been studying hard, and I think they are very knowledgeable about what guys are supposed to be doing. The guys that are here and the new guys have played enough football to know what the expectations are and what works and what does not. They are doing a really good job of holding people accountable and bringing energy that other people are following. You do not have to be front and center all the time particularly if you are new to being a good leader. There are ways to do it without being front and center and eventually whoever the quarterback is we are going to want to be one of the main guys. I think we have several that are ready to do that.”
 
On offensive leaders: 
“I think that is a work in progress, too. We have a lot of new pieces on offense. I maybe would comment on Alante Brown. He has had a really good offseason, and he really has a voice in the wide receiver room that we have needed, and I hope he keeps coming on the way that he has because we are seeing some good things from him.”
 
On if having a large number of newcomers in the spring is the ‘new normal’: 
“Time will tell but I would guess so. I think that is just happening across the board. Teams are not taking full recruiting classes of high school kids and looking for other ways to improve the team. Again that is going to be a lot of work for the coaches to make sure that you get new guys up to speed on Xs and Os and scheme and terminology and everything else. I think we are probably going to need to be ready to do that every year.”
 
On Rahmir Johnson noting a difference in the running game: 
“If he noticed a difference I think it is probably a compliment to the guys up front and the guys coaching the guys up front. The schemes were not different. Hopefully they felt a little different to the defense.”
 
On Mark Whipple’s influence on the run scheme: 
“Pretty much the same as what we have been doing. (Mark Whipple) certainly has ideas and will bring a lot to the table but I think for the most part what we did today is consistent to what we have done before.”
 
On players’ injury status: 
“I did not bring my list. I would say Travis Vokolek will not be back until summer. Casey (Rogers) will probably miss most or all of the spring. Luke Reimer had another procedure and he could be back later in the spring but it will probably be summer. I hate listing them because we are missing quite a few guys that we are expecting to help us next year and a couple up front on the offensive line. Again we miss those guys but the positive side of that is other guys getting reps that we need to develop.”
 
On the correlation of leadership and new coaches: 
“I do not think much. We just need guys to step forward. We certainly have a lot of guys capable of doing that. Some of them are young but we need guys to step into those roles and take advantage of that.”
 
On the wide receiver room: 
“We have a lot of guys in the receiver room, and they are not getting away with much right now with Mickey (Joseph) in there. They know the expectations and the standards and they know there is going to be a lot of competition in the room because we have a lot of guys and a lot of depth. Today was day one. They are going to have 15 practices this spring and a bunch of time over summer and fall to try to battle it out and see who the main guys are going to be and they are off to a good start.”
 
On if new offensive linemen Hunter Anthony and Kevin Williams Jr. will play multiple spots: 
“I think they both probably could. Coming in and learning stuff new we are going to try to leave them in one place during the spring if we can but I think both are capable of playing guard and tackle.”
 
On the center spot: 
“It is TBD again. I think we have a lot of guys that can do that. Trent Hixson was playing there today. Ethan Piper was playing there today. I think Turner (Corcoran) could play there when he is back so there are a bunch of options and when the dust all settles we will get our best five guys on the field.”
 
On how his role with special teams has changed:
“Not really at all. I was involved with it last year, too. I think I’ll have a little more time with more help on offense which is going to be great. I wasn’t much of an NFL player so I had to make my living on special teams and got to know it pretty intimately. If there are some things I can help with I’m certainly going to have more time to be able to do that.”
 
On the advantage of a head coach being more involved in special teams:
“I think if the head coach cares about special teams the rest of the team sees the importance and you get buy-in from everybody. We are certainly working toward that.”
 
On how he prioritizes the goals for the spring:
“We want to be a little simple this spring. We didn’t have trouble last year creating big plays or moving the ball at times. It was being consistent at the little things when we needed it. I think if we get good at blocking technique and running with it and throwing it and catching it we can change a rout or a run concept. If we block with good technique, it’s going to work. We’ve got plenty of time to get creative with a lot of smart people. Spring is really going to be about fundamentals and doing the small things well.”
 
On specific fundamentals to focus on in the spring:
“I don’t want to single one out because I don’t want to act like I’m pointing figures at something we did wrong. I was really impressed today with the way the line just came off the ball. If we can get more movement initially in the run game I think that’s going to help us a lot.”
 
On what adjustments need to be made to succeed on special teams:
“We’ve got to punt it well, kick it well and have some guys that are dangerous in the return game. For the most part I think our coverage units did a good job last year. There is still improvement to be made. I think we have some guys that are going to be able to catch the ball and do something with it. We’ve got to punt it well and make our kicks. We hopefully added some guys that are going to be able to do that and we are bringing some guys back.”
 
On what he has seen from transfer punter Brian Buschini:
“I actually haven’t seen him yet. We were inside today working on kickoff. We can’t really be on the field with players and balls in the winter. Looking forward to seeing it but I haven’t yet.”
 
On the running backs as a group:
“There is competition in that room, too. Gabe Ervin is another one that will miss spring. He’s doing a great job trying to get back. We got Rahmir (Johnson) back and Jaquez (Yant) back. Brody Belt is going to take some reps back there. Anthony Grant is new to the program. I thought all those guys had a good first day. Jaquez has had a good off season. He looks the part right now. We’ve got a lot of guys that need to grow up and become men and reliable pieces to our team. I think Jaquez and several others are doing a good job of trying to get there.”

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