4 thoughts on Trev Alberts leaving Nebraska for Texas A&M

Outside of Matt Rhule suddenly leaving the Nebraska football program, it’s hard to imagine worse news than Trev Alberts abandoning his post at Nebraska for Texas A&M.

Yes, the word abandon was used purposely. I realize there are issues with the regents. Nebraska has gone seven months without a President and there is no excuse for it.

That being said, if you love a place like Trev Alberts said he loved Nebraska, you don’t leave it in the lurch, which is exactly what Alberts did on Wednesday, in a move that blindsided the state and the school he claims to care so much about.

Well, Trev, actions speak a hell of a lot louder than words and while I’m not ready to take the No. 34 down from inside Lincoln Memorial Stadium, I sure as hell understand the sentiment.

Trev Alberts was Mr. Husker for a time in the 1990s. As a kid who lived in Hastings, Nebraska, I once stood in a line for about 3-4 hours just to get his autograph. On Wednesday, Trev turned his back on all of that. He turned his back on Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers forever.

Alberts was a great football player. He has been a great athletic director, but leaving less than a year after signing an extension, with an email informing people of his departure no less, tells you all you need to know. It’s beyond disappointing and here are four thoughts on what it means for Nebraska athletics in the future.

Trev Alberts is a traitor

I don’t care if that sounds harsh, it’s 100 percent true. Trev turned his back on everything that the Nebraska football program stood for (when he played) and I can’t imagine for a second that Tom Osborne would be happy.

It’s not just that Trev left, it was the way he did it. He literally re-tweeted the Co-Coach of the Year announcement from Fred Hoiberg, then left school the next day. It’s despicable and everyone who tried to warn Nebraska fans about Alberts when he was hired, turned out to be 100 percent right.

He’s a snake and as a Nebraska football fan, he’s dead to me. I’ll never forgive him and I don’t want him to set foot inside Lincoln Memorial Stadium ever again.

Running away isn’t leadership

I don’t know enough to talk about the regents but it doesn’t take a genius to know that leadership at Nebraska isn’t where it needs to be. Ted Carter left for Ohio State and now, the promising athletic director bolted too. The regents need to answer for that, but as I said, if you love something, you stick around and make it better.

Every major sports program was trending in the right direction. Trev was talking about making major renovations to the football stadium and Nebraska football is getting back on track, thanks in large part to Alberts and Carter hiring Matt Rhule.

It’s baffling now that the administrators who brought Rhule to Nebraska are all gone. That doesn’t mean Rhule is going anywhere, but it makes the future a lot murkier.

But as Alberts referenced the “vision” and “leadership” at Texas A&M, he showed a true lack of leadership at the time when the University of Nebraska needed it most.

Right to worry about Matt Rhule

Yes, Matt Rhule put out a positive Tweet referencing the start of the 2024 season. It’s not like Rhule is following Alberts out the door. Trev is inheriting a new head coach in Mike Elko.

8/31/2024 pic.twitter.com/OL7vDZ0jSn

— Matt Rhule (@CoachMattRhule) March 13, 2024

But AFTER Nebraska football makes a bowl game this season, schools will come calling. If Nebraska doesn’t get the right President and AD, he might even consider leaving.

I truly don’t see that happening right away, but in a few years, if Mike Elko fails at Texas A&M, you know Trev Alberts’ first call would be to Matt Rhule.

Trev just stabbed Nebraska football fans directly in the back, would anyone be shocked if he tried to do it again in a few years?

Nebraska needs to get it right with the next AD

I haven’t gotten to the point of considering who will replace Alberts, but it has to be a home run. The Huskers need someone to oversee the big changes in the college football landscape and make sure that they have a seat at the table.

Big Ten membership isn’t the sure thing some Nebraska fans might think. It didn’t take all but two seconds for Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado to fall out of the power two, and with a lack of leadership, who knows what could be in store for Nebraska.

The biggest issue is that Nebraska will need to hire a President before an athletic director. No one is going to want the job until a President is hired. In that sense, you can see why Alberts was frustrated, but again, with all the momentum Nebraska athletics has right now, it’s mind-boggling that he left right as the men’s basketball team is about to end a 10-year NCAA tournament drought.

It feels like all the goodwill and momentum, even though it won’t die overnight, did die a little bit with the announcement that Alberts is leaving, of his own choice, for Texas A&M. It’s a sign that Nebraska is nothing but a stepping-stone, which is a huge issue moving forward that has to be addressed.

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