The coach tasked with remaking Nebraska’s pipeline received a little national recognition on Thursday.

Nebraska offensive line coach Greg Austin was among those who made ESPN national college football writer Adam Rittenberg’s 40 best coaches and staffers under 40, which was released on Thursday.

The 34-year-old Austin was lauded by Rittenberg for his connections in the coaching industry, which includes coming up in Chip Kelly’s offensive systems, as well as a wide range of experience from the junior college rans to the FBS level to time in the NFL.

“The former Husker offensive lineman is back at his alma mater,” Rittenberg wrote, “but what he accomplished during his time away really stands out. He gained valuable experience with Chip Kelly at Oregon and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles before joining Scott Frost at UCF. Austin earned two master’s degrees in business while at UCF. He isn’t a run-of-the-mill offensive line coach and has the background and ambition to one day lead a program.”

Austin’s career in the coaching ranks has closely followed that of Scott Frost, a big branch of the Kelly coaching tree. He got his first full-time coaching job at UCF when Frost made the move from Oregon. Austin’s offensive line was a big part of the turnaround at UCF. In 2017, Austin’s offensive line allowed only 13 sacks to rank fifth nationally, and his unit helped the Knights average 5.2 yards per carry and score 39 rushing touchdowns, which ranked ninth nationally. In a testament to his line's versatility, UCF ranked in the top 25 nationally in both yards per pass and yards per rush in 2017.

Austin spent three seasons as the assistant offensive line coach from 2013 to 2015 on Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles staff. The Eagles ranked in the top five in the NFL in total offense in both 2013 and 2014. Offensive tackle Jason Peters earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of Austin’s three seasons in Philadelphia, while guard Evan Mathis was a Pro Bowler in 2013 and 2014 and center Jason Kelce was a 2014 Pro Bowl selection.

Before coaching in the NFL, Austin coached with Frost for three seasons at Oregon, serving as an intern in 2010 and as the Ducks’ offensive graduate assistant in 2011 and 2012. Oregon posted a 36-4 record and finished in the top five in each of Austin’s three seasons on staff, winning two conference titles and playing for the 2010 national championship game, when the Ducks led the country in scoring and total offense.

As a player at Nebraska, the Texas native battled injuries throughout his career. He made 18 career starts at offensive guard and was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick as a senior in 2006, when the Huskers played in the Big 12 Championship Game and the Cotton Bowl. Austin was also a two-time academic All-Big 12 selection in the classroom.