Nebraska coach Scott Frost said he believes some of the criticism received by quarterback Luke McCaffrey is unfair.

In an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star on Friday, Frost addressed the skepticism in McCaffrey’s future as a quarterback and the chorus of fans who would like to see him play a different position.

“It’s really not fair, because if you have a slow guy who misses a pass, everybody just says ‘man, step into your target a little better,’ Frost said. “But if you’ve got a good athlete who misses a pass, people say, ‘Oh, you should be playing safety.’ I’ve been through that, and I’m not doing that to Luke.”

McCaffrey is a dual-threat quarterback, but he had more success on the ground than he did through the air last season. He completed 63.2 percent of his passes, which would have been sufficient if not for a 1-to-6 INT-to-TD ratio.

He also averaged just 6.1 yards per attempt and 2.8 adjusted yards per attempt.

On the ground, McCaffrey rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries.

Despite the inconsistent numbers, Frost is bullish on McCaffrey’s future at Nebraska.

“Luke’s improvement in throwing the football from year one to year two and his control of the offense is going to give him a chance to be a really good player, a special player around here,” Frost said. “If he continues on that path, I expect him to be an elite guy.”

McCaffrey and fellow quarterback Adrian Martinez are both expected back next season.