An era that once held so much promise has finally come to a merciful end in Lincoln, Nebraska. Now it's time for Nebraska football to find a new head coach.

When Nebraska football hired UCF head coach Scott Frost in late 2017, many hailed him as the savior of the program. Not only did he do incredible work with the Knights, bringing them from winless to undefeated in just two seasons, but he was returning to his alma mater, where he helped the Huskers win a national championship in 1997. It should have been a slam dunk of a hire, but it was nearly the exact opposite.

Frost struggled immensely with the Cornhuskers with a record of 16-31 and finishing with a losing record each season. He particularly struggled in one-score games, in which he finished with a 5-22 record. Frost was already on the hot seat, and a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday was the final nail in his coffin.

With another failed head coach behind them, Nebraska must start yet another new era in hopes of returning to glory. Many coaches are available for the Huskers to hire, but they absolutely need to get it right this time. These three coaches may be able to revive the struggling program back to prominence.

Nebraska football head coach candidates

3. Mickey Joseph, Nebraska Interim Coach

After the Huskers fired Frost, they named Joseph, brother of former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, as the interim head coach. By doing so, Joseph made history as the first Black head coach in school history. He holds that distinction not just in football, but across all sports.

Nebraska may want to get the taste of the Frost era out of its mouth, and understandably so. However, the Huskers would be foolish to not at least give Joseph a chance. He has at least nine games to prove himself with the Huskers, and could win the job if he shines.

Joseph is in his first season with Nebraska after spending five years under Ed Orgeron at LSU. He started out as the wide receivers coach in Baton Rouge, but worked his way up to assistant head coach in 2020. After LSU decided to move on from Orgeron, Joseph moved onto Nebraska and, evidently, quickly earned the team's trust to become the interim head coach.

The Huskers' season is all but over after a 1-2 start, so Joseph doesn't have too much pressure on him. He should still do the best he can, because it may lead him to earning the role full-time.

2. Troy Calhoun, Air Force Head Coach

Calhoun is far from the most well-known option Nebraska could choose to hire. However, the current Air Force head coach makes a lot of sense for the Huskers, from a certain point of view.

Like the other Military academies, Air Force runs the triple option offense and runs it well. Through week two, the Falcons lead the country in rushing with a staggering 508 yards per game. That isn't just because of a small sample size either, as Air Force has finished top five in the country in rushing every year since 2015.

As the Falcons' head coach, Calhoun has played a huge part in the program's recent success. He has been at Air Force since 2007, and has a 113-75 record in that time. Since the College Football Playoff era began in 2014, Calhoun has led the Falcons to four 10-win seasons, showing his ability to keep up with the modern game.

Now think back to the juggernaut Nebraska teams under Tom Osborne in the mid 90s. What type of offense did those teams utilize to win three national championships in four years? That's right, the triple option.

If the Huskers long to return to the glory days, then maybe they could return to such a scheme, and Calhoun would be the perfect coach to implement it. It may take a few years to reach its peak, as Calhoun would have to recruit the right players for the system. Still, there's no denying it would help the Huskers stand out and become much more interesting to watch.

1. Matt Campbell, Iowa State Head Coach

Whenever a big-name program is looking for a new head coach, Campbell is usually among the first to come up. Thanks to his stellar work at Iowa State, Campbell has more than earned that reputation.

Since arriving in Ames in 2016, Campbell has led the Cyclones to new heights as a program. Now in his seventh season, Campbell has a 44-34 record with five bowl appearances and two wins. That may not sound impressive, but consider that the last Iowa State coach to finish his tenure above .500 was Earle Bruce, who coached the Cyclones from 1973 to 1978.

The Iowa State head coach has consistently appeared in coaching rumors for big-name programs such as LSU, Notre Dame and even some NFL jobs. Due to the endless speculation, Iowa State locked him up to a long-term deal through the 2028 season. Still, that hasn't stopped him from appearing in rumors, especially now that Nebraska has a vacancy.

Campbell's time in Ames has shown he can turn a struggling program around, which is exactly what Nebraska needs. That contract presents a big hurdle for the Huskers and may deter them away from the Iowa State coach. However, if Nebraska wants to get back to glory, it should do everything it can to hire Campbell.