'Remarkable Trajectory': Athletic Director Trev Alberts Ready For New Challenge At Texas A&M
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COLLEGE STATION -- Trev Alberts and Mike Elko will have time to build a budding relationship during their time at Texas A&M over the next few years, even if the two know little about each other entering spring football.
Elko, hired by then-athletic director Ross Bjork to replace Jimbo Fisher last November, knows what a move to College Station feels like for a non-Texas native. Alberts, who now takes over for Bjork as A&M's new athletic director, knows Elko is a "real football coach."
“He knows how to build a culture, and he knows how to build a tough team," Alberts said Monday upon his introduction as A&M’s new athletic director. "I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Who knows if Elko, who served as Fisher's defensive coordinator for four seasons before being named head coach at Duke, ever thought he'd return to Kyle Field. As for Alberts, a former Butkus Award winner at Nebraska, wasn't looking to leave his alma mater after being named AD in 2021.
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Even Alberts admitted the move itself was emotional. A native of Ceder Falls, Iowa, Alberts, 53, played under Tom Osborne. He helped the Huskers win three total (two sole possession) Big Eight titles before becoming a first-round pick in the 1994 draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Since 2009, Nebraska, both Omaha and Lincoln, have been home for the Alberts since he transitioned his life over from broadcasting to the business side of athletics.
"It’s a place that changed my life and other than my faith and my family, everything I have today I owe to the University of Nebraska," Alberts said of the univeristy.
“But at (this age), you see opportunities, and Texas A&M is a pretty remarkable place with a remarkable trajectory and remarkable leadership.”
Even if he didn't expect the career shift, Alberts is taking over an upward-trending athletic department. The Aggies' Men's and Women's basketball teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament to coincidentally take on Alberts' Cornhuskers later this week.
A&M baseball, led by former TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle, is two years removed from playing in Omaha at the College World Series.
As for football, talent is there. It was under Fisher, who was fired before the end of his sixth season after going 11-11 following Elko's departure but never reached full heights. With Elko now back in the saddle, perhaps A&M continues its trending of promising results.
“I think you have the right coaches here who understand that culture is now more important than ever before,” Alberts said. “There’s total freedom of movement (among athletes) … NIL … and you’re going to want coaches that players believe in, and genuine, authentic leadership in the coaching space is going to be more critical than ever before.
“I think that’s what Texas A&M has as a whole group of coaches, so I’m excited to get to partner with them.”
There's plenty of 'new' in Aggieland headed into 2024. Among the four major sports, Buzz Williams is the most senior coach at five years since being hired in 2019. Schlossnagle is on Year 3 while Joni Taylor just finished her second season. Volleyball coach Jamie Morrison just finished Year 1 which saw the Aggies make the postseason.
Elko and Alberts aren't the only newcomers in positions at Texas A&M. School president Mark Welsh recently took command of the post, and had the final say in hiring Alberts away from his alma mater.
A former four-star Air Force general, Welsh said several things stood out about Alberts in the interview process, but his business sense pushed him ahead of others, especially as college athletics continuously changes in the world of NIL.
"I believe [Trev] is a very credible spokesman in the NCAA among other Power Five athletic directors," said Welsh. "I think we want that here at A&M. We want someone who can speak knowledgeably, and confidently, and credibly about the issues. The other thing we really liked about him is that he's a very humble guy.
"We were looking for a leader who was fiscally responsible and could prove it in the past, who had the business chops to look at the problems emerging these from a little bit of different perspective and who was able to bring a department together and was able to move it as a team. He checked all those boxes for me."
For Alberts, he prayed long and hard before making a final decision, but after seeing the trajectory of Texas A&M under the Welsh's leadership, he was up for a new challenge with his family.
"It's a little bit surreal and exciting," said Alberts. "The more that we dive in about Texas A&M, the more this feels right to us. I just want to say how grateful and honored we are to be a part of this family."
