There has a ton of discussion in regards to Nebraska hiring Trev Alberts as their new athletic director. I’ve seen arguments on both sides as to why this was a good hire, as well as arguments as to why this was a bad hire. To continue to add to the confusion, I will offer my two cents.
The fact that Alberts played at Nebraska to me is a good thing. He understands what the culture is all about, and he also understands what it means to win here. His All-American background is certainly a good thing in the sense that he will take this job seriously. He knows the ins and outs of Nebraska tradition as well as what happens if the athletic programs do not do well.
The fact that Nebraska hired him relatively quickly to me is a good thing. That will establish stability and security in the athletic department, and allow for a sense of normalcy once the fall sports start. I like that Nebraska wanted to get this done and get it done quickly.
The elephant in the room
There is one big elephant in the room in regards to the Alberts hire. That was the decision in 2011 to cut University of Nebraska-Omaha’s wrestling and football. That is certainly a big move, and one that has been met with a lot of criticism from Nebraska fans when talking about this hire.
I understand that this is the elephant in the room. I also understand the skepticism about this hire because of this. However, I truly believe this has no correlation to what he will do with the Nebraska athletic programs in the future. First of all, Nebraska has a bigger budget than UNO. Secondly, football is the lifeblood of the athletics department. I love all of this works, but there is no doubt that football is king.
It is worth noting that in his press conference, Alberts was committed to letting the football program work itself out. In his press conference, Alberts indicated that he would take a more big-picture approach than just focusing on the football program. He just wants to help.
“I want to be helpful,” he said. “I will not call a play. I don’t tell coaches who to recruit.”
My final view
Overall, I will wait and see with this hire. I know it’s customary to offer a knee-jerk reaction right now. I am not choosing to do that. I’m going to let everything play out. I will say is that he is entering a very good situation with many of the athletic programs. How their futures’ will look is anybody’s guess.
