Former Husker great promoted at Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon has promoted former Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost to offensive coordinator under new coach Mark Helfrich.

The move announced Thursday had been expected since Helfrich, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was made the Ducks’ head coach on Jan. 20. Frost will also serve as quarterbacks coach in his new role.

The 38-year-old has been Oregon’s wide receivers coach for the past four seasons under coach Chip Kelly, who left the Ducks earlier this month to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Frost was quarterback of the 1997 undefeated Huskers team that won the Orange Bowl over Tennessee. Before coming to Oregon, he was defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa.

“Scott is a bright, passionate and talented yong coach who we are excited to lead our offense,” Helfrich said in a statement released by the Ducks. “His background on both sides of the ball, the coaches he’s been exposed to and his high character offer further foundations for his success. Surrounded by the continuity and support from the rest of our staff, we are confidently looking forward to this program’s continued success.”

Frost was on the road recruiting and was not immediately available for comment.

The Ducks, ranked No. 2 in the final AP Top 25, finished 12-1 this season, capped by a 35-17 victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Oregon went 46-7 over the past four seasons under Kelly, who devised the Ducks’ innovative hurry-up spread offense. Over that span, the Ducks won three Pac-12 championships and played in four BCS bowl games, including the national championship game in 2010 against Auburn.

A Nebraska native, Frost started two seasons for the Cornhuskers under coach Tom Osborne after transferring from Stanford. His senior season he ran for 1,095 yards and passed for 1,237 yards in leading the Huskers to a 13-0 season capped by the 42-17 Orange Bowl victory over the Volunteers.

Frost was a third-round pick in the 1998 draft by the New York Jets and played six seasons in the NFL, with stops in Cleveland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay.

After his pro career, he was a graduate assistant coach at Nebraska. He joined Northern Iowa in 2007 as linebackers coach.