Texas A&M has its man. After some early-afternoon drama following reports of an impending move, the Aggies have announced Nebraska’s Trev Alberts has officially joined the university as A&M’s next athletic director.

Alberts, a former first-round NFL draft pick, returned to his alma mater in 2021 to serve as Nebraska’s athletic director. During his time at the school, he made the decision to fire beloved but embattled head football coach Scott Frost and was instrumental in hiring Matt Rhule to take over the Huskers’ football program. Before Nebraska, Alberts spent 12 years as the AD at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he transitioned the athletic program from Division II to Division I, overhauled the department’s athletic facilities, and made the controversial decision to shutter the school’s football program.

In Alberts, the Aggies have a leader who has shown a knack for making hard decisions throughout his administrative career.

“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,” A&M president Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement. “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).”

In November 2023, Alberts signed a contract extension to remain in Lincoln through 2031. That deal doubled his annual salary, taking him to $1.7 million and setting him up to make north of $2 million in 2026. He was among the Big Ten’s highest-paid athletic directors and paid by Nebraska as one of the top 10 ADs in the country.

He is expected to remain inside the top 10 at A&M, according to multiple reports. A&M’s deep pockets can put the school into any conversation it wants to be in. But perhaps the stunning move says something more about the university.

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Nebraska lost its system president, Ted Carter, to Ohio State almost a year ago. It has yet to replace him. (Ironically, Carter hired former Aggie administrator Ross Bjork to join him at Ohio State, creating the need for Alberts in College Station.)

That Alberts was ready to leave his alma mater so quickly and in such stunning fashion — Rhule was his hand-picked coach, and his basketball program had finally taken off under Fred Hoiberg — perhaps says something about the level of dysfunction that exists behind the scenes in Lincoln and is otherwise lessened in College Station.

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

“I truly want to express my gratitude to the University of Nebraska — the school and its fans have been and always will be immensely important to me,” he continued. “Nebraska changed my life, and I’m thankful for the incredible 15 years I spent here.”

In a letter sent to Nebraska staffers on Wednesday, he apologized for the timing of his departure and said Nebraska is “well positioned for the evolving changes” in college athletics. He also said he is “confident that leadership in Nebraska will rise to the occasion.”