Breaking: The Right or The Wrong Step? Nebraska Hires Troy Dannen As New AD With As They Reveal A Whooping Contract Clause Attached.

Troy Dannen, the athletic director for Washington, has been hired by Nebraska to the same role, the institution said on Wednesday. Trev Alberts, a legend of the Cornhuskers, left for Texas A&M last week, and Dannen will take his position going forward. Six years will be included in Dannen’s initial contract, per ESPN.

Dannen stated in a statement, “Being a part of the Nebraska family is a true honor.” “The chance to be a part of such a proud athletics program, institution, community, and state humbles my family and me. I grew up in Iowa, and on Saturdays my family and I would watch a lot of Nebraska football. We have comparable approaches to life, work, and athletics, based on our extensive experience in the state: put in a lot of effort, maintain humility, compete, and aim for victory.”

For the second time in less than a year, Washington is left searching for an athletic director after Dannen’s departure. After former head coach Jennifer Cohen left the Huskies in August 2023 to join USC, Dannen was eventually hired in October.

Despite being brief, Dannen’s stay at Washington had a significant impact. In the midst of one of Washington football’s most prosperous seasons ever, he was hired. Before losing to Michigan in their first-ever game, the Huskies went 12-0 during the regular season, captured the Pac-12 title, and advanced all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Following the retirement of famous coach Nick Saban and in light of that success, Washington lost coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama in January. That meant that after only four months on the job, Dannen had to look for a new coach. He moved rapidly to entice Jedd Fisch from Arizona; the employment was formalized four days subsequent to DeBoer’s exit. After leading Arizona to a 10-win season in 2023, Fisch signed a seven-year deal worth little less than $8 million every year.

Now, at least, Dannen should have some time to establish himself at Nebraska before facing any major decisions. On the gridiron, the Huskers are entering their second year under coach Matt Rhule, who just missed out on making a bowl in his first year with the program. The men’s and women’s basketball programs are both playing in the NCAA Tournament (coincidentally enough, against Texas A&M in both brackets), and the women’s volleyball program recently hosted the most-attended women’s sporting event of all time with more than 92,000 fans inside Memorial Stadium.

But Dannen has a track record of choosing successful coaches, should the necessity arise. Before coming to Washington, Dannen served as Tulane’s athletic director from 2015 to 23. In 2016, he brought on former Green Wave coach Willie Fritz. After that, Fritz led the Green Wave to three AAC Championship Games, had a 3-1 bowl record, and finished the previous two seasons with a 23-4 record. Fritz used that achievement to his advantage and was hired by Houston for this summer.