Nebraska has not seen the season that many expected when the Cornhuskers started the year in the preseason top 25 and picked among the top contenders to win the Big Ten's West Division, but the school still feels confident in the direction of the program under Scott Frost and rewarded him with a two-year extension on his current contract. 

The school announced the deal on Saturday morning, prior to Nebraska's home game against No. 14 Wisconsin. 

"Coach Frost has shown tremendous leadership in beginning to rebuild our football program," university chancellor Ronnie Green and athletic director Bill Moos said in a joint statement. "We appreciate that a change of this nature will not happen overnight. We are committed to Scott and the direction he is taking this program. Scott is the right coach at the right time for this program. We are excited for the heights to which he will take Nebraska football and the tremendous impact he will have in the development of our student athletes."

Frost initially signed a seven-year, $35 million contract set to run through the 2024 season. According to the school, the financial terms of the first deal remain but the length of the contract now runs through Dec. 31, 2026. 

Even though the results have not matched what some fans might see as a reward, the importance of the extension hits two related fronts for Frost and the future of the Nebraska program. It is first and foremost, an effort by the school to help Frost on the recruiting trail as he and his staff prepare for the furious blitz that comes in the weeks after the regular season before the Early Signing Period begins on Dec. 18. 

A rebuilding effort requires recruiting at a high level, and this extension is a response when prospects or their families express concern about Frost's future in Lincoln, Nebraska. The extension also serves as a bit of goodwill between coach and school heading into the always-tenuous spinning of the coaching carousel. Things haven't gone as Frost or fans had hoped in 2019, but there's no reason for either party to get wandering eyes just yet. It's far too early in the tenure of a coach who showcased his coaching ceiling in turning UCF around from one of the worst programs in football to a 13-0 mark and victory in the Peach Bowl in 2017. 

Frost is 4-5 this season and is 8-13 since taking over as Nebraska's coach.