Matt Rhule explains if he was surprised by Trev Alberts leaving Nebraska for Texas A&M

Former Huskers athletic director Trev Alberts abruptly announced his departure from Nebraska last week to take the same job at Texas A&M. The Aggies had to pay over $4 million to buy out his contract on his way out of his alma mater.

The news seemed to have caught many by surprise. During his first meeting with the press after the Alberts’ move, Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule revealed his initial reaction to the news that Alberts was leaving for College Station.

“Oh, definitely. Yeah,” Rhule said of whether or not he was surprised to hear the news. “I thought, like, I knew it was reality. I was probably caught off [guard] a little bit, like, ‘Oh wow, this actually happened.’ And obviously, I was sad.”

Rhule also revealed how he found out that Alberts was moving on to Texas A&M.

“He called me,” Rhule continued. “My son and I, we did our first ever father-son trip. He had his spring break at the same time as spring break [at Nebraska]. My daughter’s spring break was different. My son and I were actually playing golf when Trev called me. But he talked to me leading up to this.

“Trev is a good athletic director. He’s had many come after him. So one thing was that he was pretty transparent with me. I wanted him to stay.”

Alberts was a player at Nebraska and was regarded as one of the top linebackers in the country during his time in Lincoln. He was the recipient of the Butkus Award following the 1993 season and was a consensus All-American. The Huskers even retired his No. 34.

After a short professional career and a stint in media, Alberts got into administration and was hired by Omaha in 2009. He stayed for over a decade until he earned the Nebraska job, joining the Huskers in 2021. Now, he’s going to be the next AD in College Station, replacing Ross Bjork, who left Texas A&M to take the same position at Ohio State.

Now, Nebraska will begin its nationwide search for a new athletic director. Meanwhile, Rhule and the football program are shifting their focus toward spring ball, where they’ll get to work looking to improve on their 5-7 record from one year ago.

The Huskers begin their 2024 college football season on Aug. 31 against UTEP. By then, Nebraska should have its next AD named. For now, Dennis Leblanc will serve as interim AD.