I always liked Frank but this was year seven and he still hasn't won a MAC title. Even Turner won a title. He is a good coach but I think this is why he was never a great coach. IMO, Frank being hired as our head coach was probably Tom's biggest mistake at Nebraska.
I agree, but who would have been groomed to take over in 97? Turner?
That was the one bad thing about having assistants staying around for a long time, when Tom retired, they were all old as well. Turner would have been the logical choice but only if Tom had stayed on for a few more years. Turner would have been to green at that point. Maybe Ron Brown? But we now see that he really had no desire to be a head coach because he could have easily left Nebraska for a MAC typed job like Solich did.
That was the problem, Tom didn't have anyone on his staff to hand the torch too. As we all see now, Turner would have been a disaster too. If there was ever a time to have a national search it was in 1998 and NU could have any coach that they wanted. NU with it's tradition and history should be a destination job, not a job that is handed out to inexperienced coordinators and hope for the best type situations as we have done since TO retired. And NU has been
irreverent since the last of TO's recruits graduated because of it.