Nebraska hires Trev Alberts: Roundtable and Reactions

It’s been a big day for Iowa fans.

Yes, you’re correct, there ARE some things you remember about new Nebraska Cornhuskers AD Trev Alberts:

• He was the Athletics Director at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, which you now know athletically as the Omaha Mavericks, who guided them to Division I sports.
• As part of that jump to the Summit League, he cut both their football and wrestling program—the latter just hours after they had won a sixth D-II championship in eight years. (Here’s a three part oral history from FloWrestling: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)

• He once had Some Thoughts on who the next coach of Nebraska should be following the firing of now-retired Ohio Bobcats HC Frank Solich:

That about covers the reasons for this hir—

• “While attending the University of Nebraska, he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team from 1990 to 1993. Following his senior season in 1993, he was awarded the Dick Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy as the top college linebacker; Alberts was also recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, after recording 15 quarterback sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 38 quarterback hurries.” (wiki)

Ah. Got it. So things are goo—

But everything’s cool with Scott Frost, rig—

[kirkferentzclapping.gif]

Frost, our friends at Corn Nation have noted, was out of town and couldn’t make the press conference, which ranges from “understandable” to “shouldn’t someone have told him?”

But, of course, we have opinions about this hire, and so do you. But we wanted to give first crack to our three staffers who have a horse in this fight or a corn in this crib:

Nebraska folks: Any thoughts on Trev’s return?

Jesse Collins: This is easily the most obvious and thus generally the laziest hire possible. Disappointing even within the Nebraska family, and while his record as AD is better than you think, it’s still pretty dumb.

BRT: Nope!

Dead Read: Both the UNO football and wrestling alums dislike him (killed both programs). One of my old buddies who played for the Mavs did not appreciate the death of his college program being a stepping stone for Trev’s career. I get the feeling the entire state wrestling community straight up hates Alberts.

So, you know, the usual unicorns, rainbows, and lollipops.

If you wanted a viable hatchet man, Trev would be on the list. He might BE the list. Look at his history at UNO. Has cred as former captain and all-American. Could be something, could be nothing.

I have come to believe that Frost needs his cage rattled, in any event.

Rest of the horde: PILE ON!

HWAHSQB: Trev’s brother hired me out of college. He was also a good athlete.

WSR: I’m curious as to if that [tweet above] was Trev being wistful for a time long since gone, when politicians were honest and other bullplop. Or was that a shot across the bow for Scott Frost on day 1?

Reddit

Green Akers: Just think: he might have to fire Scott Frost.

WSR: At least nobody ever needs to worry about a confrontation when Scott Frost is involved.

DR: Deep cut, WSR.

MNW: Just going off that Reddit quote above and the oral history of the UNO wrestling program, there was this fun contribution from current Nebraska wrestling head coach Mark Manning:

NEBRASKA COACH MARK MANNING, A TWO-TIME NCAA CHAMPION AT UNO: I got a call from one of my former teammates. I was at home. I was down in the basement. I was shocked. It was devastating for Mike and Bonnie Denney, who had built a tremendous family atmosphere, a tremendous culture for UNO wrestling, not just by winning but by their development of young men and how many coaches he produced and how he did it.

It was devastating how people who are decision makers, the higher-ups in the administration really let him down. Here’s a guy who dedicated his life to UNO and not just UNO wrestling, but to UNO. I know how close he was to all the coaches and how embedded he was into the community but also other people’s programs. He wanted UNO to do well. It wasn’t just wrestling for Mike Denney, it was community. To have people who are supposed to be supporting you let you down and pull the rug out from underneath you, there was a lot of deception.

It’ll be interesting to see if this is going to become “Trev’s department” reaaaaaally fast. I don’t know if I’m packing my bags just yet if I’m Frosty, but this can’t be great.

BUT WAIT: More Nebraska teeth-gnashing?

Jesse: Trev Alberts loves Trev Alberts. He’s going to be all about making decisions that make him look good, putting himself in positions where he can take credit, and bullying those around him who do not necessarily agree with those decisions. Hiring him is disappointing because this is the type of person Nebraska hires every single time, and while they can proclaim their love of the University as reason this will work, it obviously has its faults. Not to mention, it’s another in a long line of hiring ‘inside the family’ that gets lots of eyerolls.

That said, I’d definitely point out that for all of the hell that Trev Alberts got as UNO AD, I stand by my assertion that he’s better than you think. The elimination of football (and kinda wrestling but that’s hella sketchy) paved the way to the Summit League. He got invited to the NCHC in hockey, which is no joke from a revenue line and keeps the hockey arena full with good opponents. His basketball hires—especially women’s basketball - have been successes. His two hires in men’s soccer have been successful. Ticketing revenue and licensing deal revenue is up, and the secure lines of funding from conference alignments are huge.

My guess is that boosters gave less without football, but that will be less of a problem going to Lincoln where boosters want to shake his hand. The guys he was getting money from in college still want to give him money today.

Also...

I wish we had hired someone else.