Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Frost played college football as a quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal and the Cornhuskers, the latter of which he led to a shared national championship in 1997.

After retiring as a player, Frost served as an assistant coach for a number of college football teams, most notably as the offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks from 2013 to 2015, where he helped coach Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota and the 2014 Oregon Ducks to a berth in the first college football playoff, where they lost to Ohio State in the national championship game.

After an inaugural season of 6–7 in 2016, Frost's 2017 UCF Knights posted a 13–0 record, winning the American Athletic Conference championship and defeating the Auburn Tigers in the Peach Bowl.

In December 2017, Frost accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska.

Nebraska fired Frost three games into the 2022 season after an upset loss at home against Georgia Southern.

[13] In addition to football, Frost was a standout in track and field, winning a state championship in the shot put.

[18] Frost's senior season featured a notable Flea Kicker play in a game against Missouri, where he threw a pass that was inadvertently kicked by Shevin Wiggins and caught by Matt Davison for a touchdown.

Frost and Nebraska went on to defeat Peyton Manning's Tennessee Volunteers in the 1998 Orange Bowl and claim a share of the 1997 national championship.

[18] Following his collegiate career, Frost was selected in the third round (67th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the New York Jets as a safety.

[20][21][22] As a rookie in 1998, Frost played in 13 games mostly on special teams, making six tackles and two passes defended.

[29] In December 2002, while still on the Green Bay Packers' injured reserve list, Frost served as a temporary graduate assistant at his alma mater.

As the quarterbacks coach, he mentored Marcus Mariota, who won the Heisman Trophy, en route to a berth in the National Championship game.

[38] Following the game, the school claimed a national championship which is recognized in the official NCAA record books.

[a] On December 2, 2017, Frost accepted the head football coach position at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

[45] Scott Frost finished his first season 4–8, the worst single-season record of any Nebraska head football coach in more than fifty years.

[55] In his first four seasons as Nebraska's head coach, Frost's teams never played in a bowl game and failed to compete in the West Division of the Big Ten, never rising higher than fifth.

Due to a clause that came from restructuring his contract, Nebraska would have only owed Frost about $8.7 million if he was fired after October 1, 2022.

[62] His brother, Steve Frost, was born on July 4, 1973, and played defensive line and long snapper at Stanford.