At 8:55 AM on Wednesday, March 13, Houston Chronicle Texas A&M reporter Brent Zwerneman sent shockwaves through the college sports world with his report that Texas A&M was targeting Nebraska AD Trev Alberts as the Aggies' next athletic director and that he's expected to take the job.
Like a Corey Schlesinger lead block in the early 90s, the news hit hard and left the recipient dazed and confused. Plenty of sports news get the label "shocker", but this one undoubtedly fits the bill.
After news trickled out and was later further substantiated by national and local writers alike, reality started to set in for Nebraska fans, who are now left with more questions than answers.
How? Why? This can't be real, right?
Who could blame them?
Alberts is a former Blackshirt and bleeds scarlet and cream. For 12 years, he patiently waited 50 or so odd miles away at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, biding his time to clean up the mess and lead his school back to national prominence. Since landing what many presumed was his dream job as the Nebraska AD in 2021, he's led a bold and largely successful overhaul of the Husker athletic department, so much so that he signed a beefy contract extension this past November.
The list is lengthy, but highlights include the hire of Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, his decision to stick by men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg (who has the Huskers on the doorstep of an NCAA tournament berth) and the continued growth and wild success of the Nebraska volleyball program, including the grand stage they were on during Volleyball Day last August. He also took on the ambitious task of attempting to rally donors for Memorial Stadium expansion efforts. TBD on how that plays out.
Alberts should be largely considered a success in his short time in Lincoln but does not get out unscathed. A large and recent black mark on his reputation and resume includes an ongoing Nebraska women's basketball scandal, where he's facing some rather terrible allegations.
Like oil bubbling to the surface of some West Texas farmland, when the news on Alberts' imminent departure leaked, it led to rampant speculation amongst national pundits and Nebraska fans alike.
Things like "He's doing it for the money!", "What a snake!" and "Why would he want that mess in College Station?" seemed to be the prevailing sentiments. Aggie fans didn't seem to be particularly thrilled about the news either, but that's beside the point.
In this piece, I'll attempt to shed some light on why I think things appear headed the way they are. Is Trev Alberts' decision to leave home and head to College Station more about greed, a big gamble or genius-level thinking?
The Case for Greed
The phrase "more money than God" is a more than acceptable way to describe the finances of the Texas A&M athletic department. In cartoon terms, they're Scrooge McDuck swan-diving into a pool of gold coins. They spend money at every turn and don't seem to care how it makes them look or how anyone else feels about it.
In 2021, GoBankingRates labeled A&M as the wealthiest football program in the country, tied only with fellow in-state rivals Texas at $147 or so million annually. Those numbers have surely gone up in the last few years.
Back to the part about spending money at every turn, the Aggies boast one of the largest and most wealthy NIL operations in college football. They've notched impressive recruiting classes under former head coach Jimbo Fisher, despite it not translating to wins on the field.
Speaking of Fisher, the brass at aTm (as they should affectionally be labeled), shelled out a staggering $76 million to make that man go away. In other words, it's the type of F-U money that almost no one else has or is willing to spend, much less both.
The money isn't just on the field; it's everywhere. In the luxury boxes at Kyle Field. In the sterling silver facilities in College Station. In the bank accounts of a former head coach, the current head coach and the person who employs him.
This sheer level of wealth is surely enticing to someone like Alberts. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't.
The Case for Gamble
Choosing to leave before the 2024 Nebraska football season is certainly a choice by Trev Alberts.
Even the strongest of haters (of which I am) can admit that things appear to be trending upward in Lincoln, especially on the football front. Matt Rhule is a real, adult football coach. He's nailed the press conferences. He's pounded the pavement in recruiting. He's jolted some positive, good energy into a program that was severely lacking it.
The Huskers took tangibly positive steps in 2023, and are a breakout candidate for many in 2024. They landed the coveted No. 1 HS QB in Dylan Raiola. Rhule and company cleaned up with in-state recruits. Heck, they even hit the portal and picked up some guys that appear destined to make an impact. It feels like an upward trend.
Not to mention that Alberts was the man who lured Rhule to Lincoln, so he gets the credit if/when he starts winning big. I think that deserves a mention.
There are no guarantees in college football, but even conservatively speaking, there's no way Rhule bombs quite like Frost before him. Even if Rhule only hits the 8-9-win threshold, it's not a total bomb. Sometimes not being embarrassed is as good as getting the applause in college sports. No ifs, ands or buts, Alberts would receive the credit for hand-picking Rhule if they fully get back on track.
So why would Alberts leave home and forsake the thing he helped build? I believe the answer lies in the upside of what's on the horizon.
The Case for Genius
I likely fall in the minority on this, but I fully believe Texas A&M football is a dormant volcano and it's just a matter of time until it explodes. The signs are all there.
First and foremost, they're in one of the two true power conferences and will undoubtedly be part of the inevitable College Football Super League. Nebraska is in the requisite level of conference too, and might/probably will be included
Winning a national title in college football is largely about recruiting; don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If your program doesn't accumulate enough blue-chip recruits, you won't win a title. That's the name of the game.
A&M football is a leader in the talent acquisition space, as evidenced by their No. 17 spot in the On3 2024 recruiting rankings. Of their 17 commitments this offseason, 13 of them have a 5 or 4-star ranking, which is good for a 76% blue-chip ratio.
The general consensus is that you need over half of your roster to carry the blue-chip label. A&M sits comfortably within that threshold and thus has enough talent to compete and possibly win a national title.
I'd argue that A&M has done the hard part already, you know, the thing only a relative handful of teams can actually do. They recruit their asses off and have a cupboard full of talent. Now, they just need someone to mold that talent into a competent on-field product.
Speaking of competent on-field products, did y'all watch Duke last year? Yes, that Duke. The one that realistically has no business being anywhere near a Top 25 ranking. That team, led by now Aggie head coach Mike Elko, gave Dabo Swinney's Clemson team absolute hell and handily beat them by three scores. If it weren't for their quarterback getting injured for most of the year, Duke might've won 10 games.
Elko feels like the antithesis of richly fired Jimbo Fisher because he's a maximizer and does more with less. He got an OC that does the same in former Kansas State star turned OC Colin Klein. That's a formidable operation, right there. Add gobs of money and good recruits and you have your one-way ticket back to relevancy and possibly more.
I can hear the Husker snides now. "Good luck with that stupid fanbase!" "That program is a mess!" "The message boards will eat him alive!" I hate to break it to you, but every fanbase is annoying. Especially at the elite Power 5 level. It means they care.
Yes, Aggie fans are over the top. They've got the TexAgs message board vitriol to prove it. But Husker fans aren't angels, either. They voice their discontent when angered or provoked, just like any other fanbase.
Remember, words hit hard, but direct deposits hit harder.
What this means for Nebraska
This is nothing short of a disaster for Nebraska. Let's be very clear about that.
Losing your famous alum AD less than a year after losing your school president isn't good for anybody. If anything, it makes the new AD search that much more difficult.
What does this news mean for Matt Rhule? Rhule was brought to Lincoln by former president Ted Carter and Trev Alberts. Losing both of them in such a short amount of time doesn't mean that Rhule isn't happy or won't stick around, but it doesn't exactly dispel that line of thinking, now does it?
In the short term, I'm curious to see where the Memorial Stadium renovations sit. It feels like news on that front has gone quiet. Maybe Alberts saw the writing on the wall and knew he was playing a losing game attempting such a feat? Or maybe not, considering he appears to be signing up for a similar task with Kyle Field in the not-too-distant future.
In the medium term, Nebraska fans probably have to be fearful of someone like Penn State trying to lure Rhule away from Lincoln. Rhule seems happy to be in Lincoln, and that's great news. But it's not like Rhule hasn't had his head turned before.
And let's face it, this Penn State type of scenario was always going to happen if he was successful. But perhaps the Carter and Alberts departures crack open the door a little.
The long-term future for Nebraska football is anyone's guess. If they can manage to keep ahold of Rhule, there's no reason they can't get to 8-9 wins per year (maybe more in a great year) and be a consistent winner in the Big 10. Beyond that, they better do everything they can to be part of the Big Breakaway that's coming to college football in the next 5-10 years.
So is it Greed, Gamble or Genius?
Like most things in life, the answer to my previous question is that it's complicated.
It would be naive to think that I or anyone else not connected with Alberts could truly tell his thinking. My guess is that Alberts is seduced by the money that comes with being associated with the richest of the rich. He's willing to roll the dice that he's the man who can take A&M from a laughing stock to the envy of the college football world. And that this is some great, albeit not genius-level, thinking that the Aggies are primed to finally break through and be the program they ought to be.
Someday, we'll reflect on this time and ask ourselves one question. Did Trev Alberts help A&M get the one thing money can’t buy?