Nebraska interim university president Chris Kabourek announced the hiring less than a week after previous athletics director Trev Alberts departed for Texas A&M.

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“Joining the Nebraska family is truly an honor,” Dannen stated in a release. “My family and I are humbled by the opportunity to be part of such a proud athletics program, institution, community and state. Growing up in Iowa, I watched a lot of Nebraska football on Saturdays with my family. I’ve spent a lot of time in the state and I’ve found that we share a similar approach to life, work and sports: Work hard, stay humble, compete and expect to win. There is a storied tradition at Nebraska, but more work to be done. I truly believe our best years are ahead of us. I couldn’t be more grateful to Interim President Chris Kabourek for this opportunity. Chris has championed an inspiring vision for excellence across the University of Nebraska and he and I are completely aligned on where Nebraska needs to go in the future. I look forward to doing my part to helping Nebraska win championships across the board, graduate our student-athletes and elevate the world-class reputation of the University of Nebraska. I can’t wait to arrive in Nebraska and get to work.”

Dannen was originally appointed Huskies athletics director in October 2023. He made the move from Tulane where he led an overhaul of the program.

Dannen had been athletics director at Tulane since 2015. He was part of the program when it reached three-consecutive bowl games from 2018-20 and won two straight.

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Dannen was also in charge when Green Wave student-athletes earned a record-setting department Academic Progress Report of 992, according to a release.

Under Dannen’s guidance, Tulane secured “the largest unrestricted gift in Tulane Athletics history, an endowment gift which funds the operation of a new sport (sailing), and a $10 million lead gift for capital renovations, which is the second largest gift in department history,” according to a release.

“From my first conversation with Troy Dannen, I knew he was a perfect fit for Nebraska,” Kabourek stated in a release. “He is a fierce competitor, he holds himself and his programs to uncommonly high standards, and he cares personally about the success of student-athletes in sports, school and life. Troy sees the vision and momentum we have here at Nebraska, from our bold investments in facilities to our record success in the classroom to our bold plan to elevate our national reputation and competitiveness, and he is excited to be a part of it. I am thrilled that we’ve found someone who is 100% aligned with our high expectations and will be all-in on Nebraska. Husker Nation, we’ve found a winner in Troy Dannen. I can’t wait to welcome him and his family to Nebraska.”

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Dannen previously served as director of athletics at Northern Iowa from 2008-15. Before that he was the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Executive Director for seven years.

“I’m so fired up about this hire,” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said. “Interim President Kabourek has found exactly the right person to lead the Huskers forward. Troy sees what we see – that Nebraska is a special place, with special people, a great vision and the courage to be unabashed about wanting to win across the board. The fact that someone of Troy’s caliber wants to join Team Nebraska will light a fire across our entire department. Let’s go!”

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Alberts will take over for former Aggies athletics director Ross Bjork, who took the same role at Ohio State in January.

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“From my perspective, there has never been a more consequential time in history for higher education and the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” Alberts stated in a release. “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 (Mark A.) Welsh’s compelling vision in which, I believe, Athletics can play a small but important role in helping Texas A&M achieve unprecedented success.”

According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, Alberts is “expected to get a five-year deal with Texas A&M that will put him near the top of the SEC and among the top 10 athletic directors nationally in terms of salary.”

Alberts had a long history at Nebraska — his alma mater. There he’d been AD since 2021, and his Cornhusker roots dig deeper than that.

Alberts was the No. 5 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft from Nebraska, and he turned in a three-year professional career.

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Texas A&M’s new athletics director also has a lengthy history as a broadcaster and has stints with CNN, Sports Illustrated and as an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay.

Alberts was athletics director at University of Nebraska at Omaha from 2009-21 where he led the transition from Division II to Division I.

At Nebraska, Alberts and the Cornhuskers saw a school-record 95% graduation rate across all sports for the past two years according to a release. Alberts also secured a $450 million renovation of Memorial Stadium that will begin later this fall and oversaw a 15-year multimedia rights agreement valued at $301 million.

“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,” Welsh stated in a release. “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).”

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