Scott Frost: “When Osborne gave me the okay, I felt better about the opportunity”

Nebraska head football coach Scott Frost made a guest appearance on CBS Sports Radio’s “Jim Rome Show” on Thursday, revealing just how instrumental Tom Osborne was in getting him back home.

During the interview, Frost said Osborne first wanted to get a feel for the program under the leadership of athletic director Bill Moos before telling him to come home.

“Tom said to me, ‘I’m going to take a hard look at what’s going on here, and I’m going to tell you whether I think it’s right for you or not,’” Frost said. “When he took a look at the things that were going on in Lincoln and the new people that were in charge on campus, I think he felt really good about the opportunity to come back and rebuild what hasn’t been the same in awhile. When he gave me that okay, that me feel a lot better about taking the opportunity.”

Frost also said on Rome’s show, much like he did on during his introductory press conference on Sunday, he kept tabs on the Huskers from afar, but it didn’t always look like the program he knew and loved.

“Ever since I graduated, I’ve been a fan and watching Nebraska from afar,” Frost said.  “At times, I was proud and at times, I didn’t think it was being done the way it needed to be done. I’ve seen how great Nebraska can be in my time there. I’m just honored they picked me to try and get it back and put it back in its rightful place around the country.”

Frost’s full interview with Rome can be heard here.

Frost will accept his Home Depot Coach of the Year award on Thursday evening in Atlanta at the Home Depot College Football Awards. The awards show begins at 6 p.m. central and will air on ESPN.

Other Notable Quotes from Frost

>> On more than 150 former players greeting him on Sunday:

“That’s one of the reasons why I came back because I knew the entire state would get behind us. The unity of Nebraska would be like it was again when I was there. Those are my brothers; those are the other guys that have gone out on Memorial Stadium field. They bled and sweat and won games and they care about the university. To see that kind of support and respect from those guys meant the world to me.”

>> On what questions he had during interview process:

“I wanted to make sure there was a unity of purpose. At times there, I felt like there were different factions, pulling in different directions and maybe that people had agendas. Everything fell in line for me to come back. I really like the leadership on campus. I really like Bill Moos, the new athletic director. I think there’s finally a process started where we move obstacles to success instead of creating them. Where everybody is pulling in the same direction, everybody has the same purpose and understands their role and what we are trying to get done. If all those things hadn’t come together like they did, I might not have looked at the job. But, I think the time is right to have a renaissance in Lincoln, Nebraska.”

You can contact Tommy at 402-840-5226, or you can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_KLIN.