Big Ten Daily (March 14): Trev Alberts Leaves Nebraska to Become AD at Texas A&M

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts is leaving his alma mater for the same job at Texas A&M. Alberts, who played college football for the Huskers under Tom Osborne from 1990-93, had been the athletic director at Nebraska since 2021.

Surprising news surfaced out of the Big Ten on Wednesday, with Texas A&M announcing that it hired Trev Alberts to be the school's next athletic director. He had been in the same role at Nebraska since 2021.

Alberts was a Nebraska alum, having played college football under legendary Huskers coach Tom Osborne from 1990-93. He seemed to be the perfect fit to run the athletic department in Lincoln — one who knew what it took to be successful.

"With Trev's expertise, the Aggies are poised to not only excel on the fields, tracks and courts, but also successfully navigate the multi-faceted intersection of sports, commerce and student-athlete empowerment," Texas A&M president Mark A. Welsh wrote. "He has a profound understanding of the intricate business of athletics and the evolving landscape of college athletics, particularly in the realm of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

"I can't imagine a better individual to lead the Aggie Athletics program into the future."

Alberts replaces Ross Bjork, who was hired to be the athletic director at Ohio State. Bjork had been the AD at Texas A&M since 2019.

"From my perspective, there has never been a more consequential time in history for higher education and the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics," Alberts said. "Leadership matters now more than ever before. My interest in Texas A&M is not only due to its prestigious reputation but also because of President Welsh's compelling vision in which, I believe, Athletics can play a small but important role in helping Texas A&M achieve unprecedented success."

Welcome to Aggieland, @TrevAlberts 👍

🔗 → https://t.co/ERpsUi2tgr | #GigEm pic.twitter.com/AsaC0jDOzE

— Texas A&M Athletics (@12thMan) March 13, 2024

Alberts had been a big part of Nebraska's recent athletics success. In August, The school set a world record for most-attended women's sporting event, packing 92,003 fans into Memorial Stadium for the Huskers' volleyball game against Nebraska-Omaha.

Alberts also hired football coach Matt Rhule following the 2022 season. Rhule, who has a track record of success in building programs at Temple and Baylor, finished with a 5-7 record in his first season with the Huskers.

Nebraska's women's basketball team finished fifth in the Big Ten standings and reached the championship game of the 2024 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. 

The men's basketball team ended the year third in the standings — the best-ever finish since joining the conference. The Huskers upset Purdue and Wisconsin at Pinnacle Bank Arena and earned a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

"I truly want to express my gratitude to the University of Nebraska — the school and its fans have been and always will be immensely important to me," Alberts said. "Nebraska changed my life, and I'm thankful for the incredible 15 years I spent here."

Alford leaves Ohio State for Michigan

There seemed to be a theme in the Big Ten on Wednesday. Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford also made an interesting move, deciding to leave Columbus and join Sherrone Moore's staff at Michigan. 

Alford had been with the Buckeyes for nearly a decade, joining the staff in 2015 when Urban Meyer was coach. He remained on board when Ryan Day took over after the 2018 campaign.

During his time at Ohio State, Alford coached great running backs like Ezekiel Elliott, J.K. Dobbins, Trey Sermon and TreVeyon Henderson. 

He will be the running backs coach at Michigan. 

Alford released a lengthy statement on social media to announce his departure.

Buckeye Nation…. pic.twitter.com/R5a4fTMskL

— Coach Tony Alford (@CoachTonyAlford) March 13, 2024

"I want to specifically thank Urban Meyer and Gene Smith for giving me the opportunity to come here back in February 2015," Alford wrote. "I want to thank Ryan Day and the numerous members of the coaching staff and support staff within The Woody. So many lifelong friendships have been formed and I am appreciative of you all. ...

"To Buckeye Nation, the support you give this program has been second to none and it's appreciated, thank you. ... All of that being, as I will undoubtedly miss so many things about being a member of the Buckeye Football Family, I am excited about what the future holds as I embark on the next chapter of this journey."

Related Big Ten stories

• BIG TEN TOURNEY DAY 2 PREVIEW: Some important matchups are in store on Day 2 of the 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. Here's a preview of all four games, which begin at 12 p.m. ET and will air on Big Ten Network. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN BANTER: Purdue won the Big Ten regular season title and has essentially locked up a No. 1 seed for March Madness. There's really nothing for the Boilermakers to gain in the Big Ten Tournament. Should Matt Painter limit minutes for the starters in Minneapolis? CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN AWARD WINNERS, ALL CONFERENCE: The Big Ten Conference announced the individual award winners and All-Big Ten teams for the 2023-24 men's basketball season. Purdue's Zach Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for a second straight season and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg and Matt Painter split Coach of the Year honors. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TRACKER: The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is set. Here's a look at the matchups, dates, times and television information for every game from the Target Center in Minneapolis. CLICK HERE