LINCOLN, Neb. -- The pieces that led to Nebraska's hiring of Scott Frost as football coach over the weekend did not fall into place out of a fairy tale.
As late as Friday night, Frost harbored deep reservations about leaving his unbeaten team at UCF. A lengthy conversation with his mentor and former coach, Tom Osborne, convinced Frost to stick with the decision to return to his alma mater. And without the deliberate work of Matt Davison, Frost's ex-teammate and close friend, the Cornhuskers likely would have lacked the connection to strike a deal.
Osborne and Davison gave Nebraska a much-needed edge in this process, teaming with athletic director Bill Moos, who pushed every proper button to tap into Frost's love for his home state and the program he helped lead to a share of the national title as a quarterback 20 years ago.