Nebraska AD Trev Alberts: Program is ‘not going to rush a hire’ for head coach

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 10: Athletic Director Trev Alberts of the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the field before the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Memorial Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
By Mitch Sherman
Nov 17, 2022

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said Wednesday that he recognizes the increasing urgency to complete the school’s football coaching search but that he won’t hurry into a decision.

Wednesday marked the 66th full day since Alberts fired Scott Frost on Sept. 11 after the Huskers started 1-2. Interim coach Mickey Joseph has guided Nebraska to two wins in seven games. His team has lost four straight as it prepares to host Wisconsin on Saturday.

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“We’re not going to rush a hire just to make a hire,” the second-year AD said during his monthly appearance on the Huskers Radio Network.

Alberts has stayed out of public view in recent weeks. He said he’s talked to a long list of coaches, including some who are not candidates for the job.

“I just needed to get from them an outsider’s view of our job,” Alberts said. “What are our strengths and weaknesses from their perspective?”

He said he’s heard repeatedly from candidates and others to whom he’s spoken that Nebraska’s loyal fan support rates as its top selling point. The school has sold out 385 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium ahead of Saturday. A small number of tickets remain unsold for the regular-season finale.

“I really believe whoever becomes the next head coach at Nebraska,” Alberts said, “one of the driving components to it and primary reasons is because of our fan base.”

A wide array of names have been tied to the job over the past nine weeks — from fired Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who resurrected programs at Baylor and Temple, to Kansas coach Lance Leipold, whose coaching roots connect him to Nebraska. Joseph, an ex-Nebraska quarterback, has remained a popular candidate through the past two months.

Nebraska, at 3-7 and 2-5 in the Big Ten, is locked into a sixth consecutive losing season.

Candidates are “not naive,” Alberts said, about the Huskers’ lack of success in recent seasons. They last won a conference title in 1999.

“When (candidates) look at our program, they know what our record is,” Alberts said. “But they also see 90,000 people sitting in the fourth quarter against Georgia Southern. They see that we continue to be sold out.”

Alberts has not set a deadline to make a hire, he said. He’s working at this, though, with the knowledge that the transfer portal is set to re-open on Dec. 5 and the early signing period in recruiting begins Dec. 21.

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Additionally, Alberts said in response to a caller’s question about the finances of the coaching hire that the school will spend what’s necessary.

“Obviously, economics are all part of the decision-making process,” Alberts said. “But I think we’ve been very clear that we’re looking for the right fit. We’re not going to make decisions based on who we can hire to cost us the least amount of money.

“At the same time, I do take very seriously being a good steward of the resources at the University of Nebraska. I feel very confident that we’ll have the resources we need to hire the very best coach and the very best fit.”

(Photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)

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Mitch Sherman

Mitch Sherman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering Nebraska football. He previously covered college sports for ESPN.com after working 13 years for the Omaha World-Herald. Mitch is an Omaha native and lifelong Nebraskan. Follow Mitch on Twitter @mitchsherman