By Staff Reports
Nebraska likes Trev Alberts and doesn’t want him going anywhere.
That was made clear on Tuesday when the university announced it was
giving its athletic director a raise to $1.7 million annually, basically doubling
his reported annual base salary of about $854,000. Alberts’ salary jumps
again in 2026 to $2.1 million. The contract runs through 2031.
University of Nebraska President Ted Carter in a release listed major
achievements in Husker athletics since Alberts took over in 2021, including:
Volleyball Day in Nebraska that broke the world record for attendance at
a women’s sporting event.
The hiring of football coach Matt Rhule.
A new 15-year, $300 million multimedia rights agreement with Playfly
Sports.
Also on Alberts’ plate has been navigating the Name, Image and Likeness
landscape; seeing the Go Big project (NU’s new football facility) to
completion; and plans for renovating 100-year-old Memorial Stadium.
An NU release also points out that 10 Husker teams had top-20 national
finishes last year, and this year, the undefeated volleyball team is currently
ranked No. 1 in the country while women’s soccer will host the second and
third rounds of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships.
“Today’s college athletics landscape is complex and ever-changing,” Carter
said. “We need exactly the right person leading Husker athletics forward. In
Trev Alberts, we have found that leader.”
Carter said he has no doubt “that someone of Trev’s caliber and character
would be an attractive candidate anywhere, but I am thrilled to tell Husker
Nation that Trev is here to stay.”
Carter structured the contract after a review of compensation packages for
other Big Ten athletic directors, with a goal of keeping Nebraska
competitive in the market and retaining Alberts for the long term.
The contract also includes:
Retention incentives, including an existing contractual $500,000
retention bonus if Alberts stays through September 2025, with an annual
$300,000 retention bonus for every year he stays thereafter.
A $3 million completion bonus if he completes the entire eight-year
agreement.
Liquidation damage buyouts that will be paid to the university if Alberts
were to leave for another opportunity.
Said Alberts, per the release: “It is an incredible honor and privilege to
serve as the director of athletics at Nebraska and it is a role I don’t take for
granted. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished so
much in the past two years. We have great momentum in Husker Athletics
and we are excited for what is ahead.”
Alberts’ contract will continue to be funded entirely with athletic department
funds. No taxpayer or tuition dollars will be used.
Board of Regents Chairman Tim Clare of Lincoln applauded the new
contract.
“Trev Alberts has spent the past two years rebuilding a culture of
excellence and accountability at Nebraska Athletics. That’s why I’m so
excited about this new contract. This ensures that Trev will be here for the
long term, instilling excellence and accountability across the entire athletic
department.
“Leadership matters, plain and simple. Trev is competitive, he wants to win
and he bleeds Husker Red. We appreciate his loyalty to Nebraska and we
want him to be a Husker for life.”
Board of Regents Vice Chairman Rob Schafer of Beatrice added: “The
leader of Husker Athletics has to be someone we trust to steward major
resources, navigate complex challenges and guide the young women and
men who wear the red N. We are so fortunate to have Trev Alberts at the
helm. College athletics is undergoing a sea change right now, but Nebraska
is in good hands.”
