When Scott Frost was announced as Nebraska’s new head football coach, fans were understandably thrilled with visions of returning to the glory days of the nineties.

Little did they suspect that some of that nineties glory would be Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder’s junior-college-heavy roster building tactics.

Since arriving in Lincoln, Nebraska has added eight (!) junior-college transfers (as observed by Brandon Cavanaugh of Athlon Sports) and a total of 51 (!!) new players since December (according to Parker Gabriel of the Lincoln Journal-Star). Indeed, according to Gabriel, 36.4 percent of the 140 players currently on the roster have been added since December 2017.

That’s … a lot. And it means that Frost was serious about creating an entirely new Nebraska program. So when you see Nebraska come out of the tunnel against Akron on September 01, there will be a lot of new faces and new names to process.

You can keep track of Nebraska’s roster with our own Roster Distribution page, of course. But to help you out, here’s a list of the five biggest new additions to the roster that will help define Frost’s first year in charge.

Tre Neal (S)

Neal’s recruiting numbers won’t blow you away, being a 247 Sports composite 0.8385 as a recruit. But don’t underestimate the importance of this graduate transfer from UCF arriving in Lincoln. Neal was effective in his time with the Knights, and more importantly he has an intimate knowledge of defensive coordinator Eric Chinander’s system. Look for him to see the field right away and be critical in helping the rest of Nebraska’s secondary get on the same page.

Will Honas (ILB)

Nebraska’s linebacker depth coming into 2018 was a little shaky, to put it charitably. Mohammed Barry and Dedrick Young are clearly the class of the returners, but behind them at inside linebacker was only one other scholarship player, Avery Roberts.

So the addition of Honas provides not only depth at the position, but a player ready to start on day one, giving an instant infusion to a position of need for Nebraska.

Vaha Vainuku (DL)

The cliché in all of sports is that you can’t coach size. At six-foot-three and 295 pounds, Vainuku has the frame to fit in immediately at any role in Nebraska’s 3-4 defensive line setup. And while his skill-set may lean more ideally to defensive end, Nebraska’s lack of depth at nose tackle means Vainuku can both literally and figuratively fill a significant hole for NU in 2018.

Breon Dixon (OLB)

One team’s misfortune is always another team’s gain. With Mississippi’s NCAA troubles, their highly-regarded (and at times illegally recruited) stars became available for transfer. Dixon, a four-star linebacker, was targeted by Nebraska, and ultimately given clearance to play right away by the NCAA.

The addition of Dixon at outside linebacker gives Nebraska an instant infusion of SEC-level talent at a position of need. For a team that ranked no. 119 nationally (!) in sacks last year (according to CFB Stats), adding a talent like Dixon could make a huge difference for Frost’s version of the Blackshirts in 2018.

Maurice Washington (RB)

Yeah, I know this probably should be Greg Bell, the junior-college running back transfer that is likely your starting tailback for Nebraska in 2018. Bell’s skills are amazing, and his addition gives Nebraska an instant-impact offensive performer, especially if injuries continue to hamper Tre Bryant’s development at the position.

But I’m including Washington, a true freshman, instead both for what he brings to the field and for the nature of his recruitment. Washington was Nebraska’s third-highest rated offensive recruit (behind quarterback Adrian Martinez and tight end Cameron Jurgens) in 2018, but it looked for the longest time like he would be an academic casualty and at best need a redshirt year and burn a scholarship hole for NU.

That didn’t happen, though, because Washington was able to get his academics cleared and be eligible for 2018. Frost and his staff never waivered on Washington, and their perseverance helped make sure that Nebraska has a potentially game-changing tailback in the mix this season. And with the new redshirt rules that allow players to participate in up to four games without losing redshirt eligibility, it is even more likely that Washington will get an opportunity to show his skills for Nebraska in 2018.

GBR, baby.