A deep-dive into the reasons Trev Alberts left Nebraska for Texas A&M

AD Trev Alberts stunned Nebraska on Wednesday with his departure from Lincoln to College Station. Now, with him leaving to take the same job at Texas A&M, it has left several Cornhuskers looking around and asking the question of why.

On3’s Andy Staples gave his answer to that during a mailbag episode of his show on Thursday. He began by noting the clear surprise by everyone in the building and who follow the school’s athletics based on their reactions to the news of his decision yesterday.

“That was the bombshell. Came out Wednesday morning, reported by Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle that Trev Alberts had been identified as the top candidate for the Texas A&M AD job. And, in Nebraska, it was, ‘What? Wait, what!'” said Staples. “Trev Alberts, former Cornhusker star, who spent his first AD stint at Nebraska-Omaha and then came over the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, would leave Nebraska to go to Texas A&M?”

“So, why did this happen? Why did it happen now? I think that’s the question that most of the folks in Nebraska are asking, most of the Nebraska fans. This is kind of a core-shaking moment…This destabilizes things. The question is why did it happen now? I think that was the thing that there was so much surprise within the Nebraska athletic department that this was going on, that this was happening,” Staples said. “Everybody was stunned and you just wonder why would you do it now? Why would you not see out a little bit of Matt Rhule, see what happens? Why jump to Texas A&M right now when they just hired a new football coach that you didn’t hire? It doesn’t make a ton of sense until you dig deeper into it.”

That dive into the details by Staples pointed to an instability at Nebraska as a likely reason that Alberts left. With an interim president and no one truly underneath him, the power system in Lincoln isn’t as secure as it could be. That may be why, with the Aggies’ job available to Alberts, he went somewhere where he could have a better footing on more solid ground.

“Here’s the thing. Ted Carter still hasn’t been replaced within the Nebraska University system. The Board of Regents has had seven months and they have not found a president yet. That is not the greatest thing in the world. Plus, Ronnie Green, who was the Lincoln campus chancellor? He retired in 2023,” Staples explained. “So all of the leadership above Trev Alberts has left and he’s not entirely sure who his boss is going to be. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is offering lots of money, a little more stable situation. It’s a little bit different situation.

As pivotal as monetary reasoning is for some people, though, Staples doesn’t believe that had much to do with this. With how much money is now in college sports, it’s not something that’s going to be too different anywhere. That brings it back to specific circumstances and details at a given school and department for someone like Alberts.

“Money, I don’t think, really was the issue here because I think Nebraska could have paid Trev Alberts,” said Staples.”

“If you’re in the Big Ten or the SEC, especially at a place that has a lot of money, that is typically competitive in most sports? You don’t have to go somewhere else for money. You’re going to be able to get paid wherever you are,” Staples said. “But, if you feel like it’s a better situation, if you feel like it’s a more stable situation? Then, yeah, you may move on.”

Nebraska has plenty to try to reason as they now begin their search for another major role at their school. However, to Staples, it was that very absence of organization that may have cost them one more key figure at the university.