It has been reported that Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts is expected to take the Director of Athletics position at Texas A&M, according to Billy Liucci of TexAgs. The news broke Wednesday morning, with the news being reported first by Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. Alberts has been the athletic director at Nebraska for three years, bringing in current head coach Matt Rhule and the football program heading in the right direction. With this unexpected information, here are takeaways from Alberts leaving for Texas A&M.
SOURCE: Texas A&M is targeting Nebraska AD Trev Alberts to become the Aggies next athletic director, and he’s expected to accept the job. The move was first reported by @BrentZwerneman.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) March 13, 2024
Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts leaving for Texas A&M
What does this mean?
Despite it seeming that Alberts was destined to be Nebraska’s athletic director for years to come, he is seeking to go somewhere else. Alberts and former Nebraska President Ted Carter played a huge role in landing Matt Rhule to coach the football team. Carter took the president job at Ohio State in August 2023, and the Board of Regents still needs to find a replacement. The University of Nebraska also had to bring in a new Chancellor last year.
Going to College Station, Alberts would inherit a new football coach, with former Duke coach Mike Elko taking over the football program that just fired Jimbo Fisher after a disappointing tenure from 2018-2023.
The news comes as a shock, especially to Nebraska fans, as Memorial Stadium will go through a $450 million renovation project to reshape the over 100-year-old stadium that the Huskers have played in since 1923. Whoever takes over the position will have to lead the project and other things in the athletic department. Alberts has done so much for Nebraska athletics and he has made a significant impact for its athletics. In the last year, the Huskers have had NCAA top-10 finishes in several Olympic sports, including wrestling, bowling, rifle, track and field, and men’s gymnastics, not even mentioning the success of “Volleyball Day” at Memorial Stadium. Even now, both basketball programs are seemingly heading to the NCAA tournament later this month.
His contract situation
Just last November, Alberts received a new contract that doubled his salary and would keep him as an athletic director through 2031. The base salary increased from $800,000 to $1.7 million. Then, by 2026, his salary would go up to $2.1 million. If Alberts were to leave for Texas A&M, he would owe a $4.12 million buyout. However, if Alberts were to stay in Lincoln, he would be paid a $500,000 retention bonus after September 2025.
Per his contract with Nebraska — which took effect Nov. 14, 2023 — if Alberts leaves the school now, he would owe a buyout of $4.12 million https://t.co/8dWhrMsWkm
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) March 13, 2024
What’s next?
There has been an administrative flux at Nebraska since joining the Big Ten. The University has gone through four athletic directors and will look for its fifth in 13 years. There will be a lot on the table for the Nebraska Board of Regents as they will have to fill two open vital positions for the future of the University. There has been no decision made by Alberts, however, it just shows how much the college football landscape is changing.
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