Nebraska hired Washington athletic director Troy Dannen as the school's new athletic director, it was announced Wednesday.
Dannen's deal is expected to be for six years, sources told ESPN.
The hiring of Dannen gives Nebraska an immediate replacement for Trev Alberts, who left for Texas A&M last week. He also provides the school with an experienced athletic director who brings strong football experience and ties to the Midwest and immediate familiarity with the Big Ten.
“Joining the Nebraska family is a true honor,” Dannen said in a statement. “My family and I are honored by the opportunity to be a part of such a proud athletics program, institution, community and state. Growing up in Iowa, I watched a lot of Nebraska football on Saturdays with my family. I've spent a lot of time” “We spent a lot of time in the state and I found that we shared a similar approach to life, work and sports: work hard, be humble, compete and expect to win.”
Dannen arrived in Washington in early October and oversaw a busy few months. He replaced Kalen DeBoer with Jedd Fisch as football coach in the wake of Washington's College Football Playoff run and fired basketball coach Mike Hopkins.
Nebraska acted quickly following Alberts' sudden and unexpected departure for Texas A&M, with interim president Chris Kabourek leading the search.
Dannen is an experienced administrator with a strong background in football. He hired Willie Fritz at Tulane and helped turn that program from a long stretch of futility to a consistent winner. Tulane has gone 23-5 the last two years, including a Cotton Bowl victory over USC.
Dannen was hired at Tulane in December 2015 and helped turn a program that had reached one bowl each of the previous 14 seasons into a consistent winner. Tulane went to a bowl in five of the last six seasons there.
While in the American Athletic Conference, Dannen built a relationship with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who worked at Temple from 2013 to 2016. They will work closely together as Rhule enters his second season at Lincoln.
“I am very excited about this hire,” Rhule said in a statement. “Interim President Kabourek has found exactly the right person to lead the Huskers forward. Troy sees the same thing we do: that Nebraska is a special place, with special people, a great vision and the courage to not be ashamed to want to win “Across the board… The fact that someone of Troy's caliber wants to join Team Nebraska will light a fire in our entire department. Let's go!”
Nebraska officials prioritized Dannen's ties to the Midwest and his strong football experience, as he has served on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, the NCAA Football Competition Committee and also the Transformation Committee of the NCAA. He has also been a part of Big Ten meetings since he started in Washington, giving him insight into the workings of the league. Dannen was athletic director at Northern Iowa for eight years before coming to Tulane in 2015.
“He's an Iowa kid who understands Nebraska values,” a school source told ESPN. “He is also an acting athletic director who understands the Big Ten and does not need to be trapped in the Big Ten.”
The move comes at a difficult time for Washington, as Dannen leaves after just six months. He simply led the search to hire Fisch and is in the middle of a search to hire Hopkins' replacement. The school is immersed in the search and sources said this move is not expected to change its timing or direction.
A source close to Dannen said the decision was “deeply personal” since he and his entire family are in Iowa.
Dannen will be Nebraska's fourth athletic director since 2013, as the school has struggled in football during that span and failed to compete consistently at the top of the Big Ten.
Nebraska officials view Dannen as the type of leader who brings his extensive experience to help Rhule lead football to prominence.
“We want to be relevant at the conference and relevant nationally,” the school source said. “He doesn't have to catch up. He's been on the football oversight committee. He's a power player in college athletics.”
