With the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts.
The selection sparked a firestorm between a member of the ESPN broadcast team and the Colts’ general manager.
It turns out that the talking head was (somewhat) correct.
Following a college career where he was a consensus All-American and won hardware as one of the best defenders in the country, Alberts turned out to be a bust.
Congratulations to former Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Trev Alberts on becoming the Texas A&M Athletic Director! https://t.co/DpcBife47F pic.twitter.com/5vhXTcKCJR
— ColtsFanCole (@ColtsFanCole) March 16, 2024
He lasted just three years and seven starts in the NFL and retired at the age of 26.
Alberts then pivoted to work in the media before becoming a college athletic director.
In 2024, he was hired by Texas A&M to lead its athletic department.
This is the story of Trev Alberts.
Coming of Age in Iowa
Trev Kendall Roberts was born on August 8, 1970, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
He wouldn't have wanted this posted but we're doing it anyway-
Happy Birthday to our QB destroying, suit wearing, fearless leading AD @TrevAlberts! pic.twitter.com/yyzr2QVU5u
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) August 8, 2022
His parents owned a farm just outside Cedar Rapids, and Trev and his siblings were expected to help out, rain or shine.
That didn’t stop when he reached Northern University High School, a now-defunct school that was run by the University of Northern Iowa.
The normal routine for Trev was getting up at the crack of dawn the day after a Friday night football game and putting in a day’s work tending to soybeans and corn.
Even as he became one of the best prep athletes in the state in the late 1980s, Alberts set out on his own to play at the next level.
“We were always very, very supportive of Trev and his athletic activities, but what we did not do is send him to a ton of camps,” said Ken Alberts, Trev’s father. “We didn’t try to groom him to be some sort of sports star, nor did we promote him in any way at all as it relates to getting a scholarship or offers. He really did that on his own.”
With the help of Alberts, Northern reached its first-ever playoff appearance during his senior year.
Congrats to NU High's Trev Alberts on his Des Moines Register Sports Hall of Fame induction.
Very blessed to have him as a teammate in high school. The dude was a beast!https://t.co/REmhy86snG
— Mike Green (@Beener1435) January 18, 2019
Along the way, the linebacker was selected as an all-state athlete as a junior and senior.
College Interest
Without the benefit of social media or the internet, Alberts needed a bit of luck to get interest from major colleges.
Thankfully, that interest initially came from a local coach.
In 1988, Earle Bruce was a one-and-done head coach at Northern Iowa.
He saw Alberts play on several occasions and offered him a scholarship.
“I never really thought about playing football (in college),” Alberts said. “I never ever dreamt that I could play at that level. But when I got that call from UNI, it really motivated me to think about the possibilities. Perhaps I could earn a free education through my football. That changed everything for me.”
Not long after, the coaches at Iowa State, Iowa and Minnesota came calling.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers contacted the Alberts family.
Behind the scenes, the principal at Northern High School, a Nebraska graduate, reached out to his alma mater and told them about Alberts’ skills.
Intrigued, the program’s linebackers coach offered the kid a scholarship despite not seeing him play in person.
Furthermore, the coach mentioned to Alberts’ father that he thought Trev was one of the best two linebackers in the entire country.
Is former #Huskers linebacker Trev Alberts a perfect fit to be Nebraska's new A.D.? That and more in today's Fact or Fiction: https://t.co/iQ0lUgaeVr pic.twitter.com/DrxIvLPspN
— Mike Farrell (@mfarrellsports) July 19, 2021
Ken Alberts thought the coach was pulling his leg, called the Nebraska football offices and asked to speak with head coach Tom Osborne.
When the two finally connected, the elder Alberts asked Osborne to confirm the recruiter’s sales pitch.
“Coach Osborne then said, ‘I can assure you we don’t give out any scholarships to athletes who we don’t think can play here.'”
The next step was to visit the campus and meet in person with Osborne and his staff.
“In the short time with Coach Osborne and learning a little bit about his values and his expectations, it was a real drawing point. There was real leadership, a real understanding of what was important, that Coach O really understood the bigger picture of collegiate athletics. It wasn’t just about wins and losses, but about developing young men. Obviously, it was something I was drawn to immediately,” said Alberts.
Shortly after, he put pen to paper and signed on to be a Cornhusker.
Growing Up Fast
Arriving in Nebraska in the summer of 1989, Alberts was on a mission to climb the depth chart.
The year before his arrival, the 1988 Cornhuskers went 11-2, including a 20-point loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl.
Alberts spent ‘89 as a redshirt and used the season learning the nuances of outside linebacker after switching from the middle position.
In 1990, he saw playing time in 10 games (no starts) and had 26 total tackles and four sacks as the Huskers went 9-3.
A season later, Alberts continued coming off the bench but played in 11 contests, netting 53 total tackles and seven sacks for 9-2-1 Nebraska.
At long last, the junior became a starter in 1992 as part of the Blackshirt defense.
34 DAYS UNTIL HUSKER GAMEDAY!
Is it appeasing the masses to give this one to Trev Alberts, current AD? Either way, Alberts was still a dominant linebacker. This year's #34 is Beau Psencik and Simon Otte.
Who's your favorite #34 in #Huskers history? pic.twitter.com/Bf3q6r9qB3
— Austin Jacobsen (@Austin2Jacobsen) July 24, 2022
The Huskers began the year 2-1 after a loss to the Washington Huskies on September 19, then lost to Iowa State in mid-November and culminating with a 9-3 record.
Meanwhile, Alberts had 73 tackles, 3.5 sacks, broke up four passes and was chosen as a second-team All-Big Eight athlete during awards season.
On January 1, 1993, Nebraska played Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
During the contest, Alberts was a terror, playing well enough that he was voted the game’s Defensive MVP.
Unfortunately, his inspired passion didn’t translate to victory as the ‘Noles prevailed, 27-14.
Unanimous All-American
The 1993 Nebraska team was on a mission.
Coming off a three-loss season in 1992 only inspired the troops to want more.
For his part, Alberts, voted a team co-captain, put together one of the best individual seasons in program history.
10/16/1993: Outside linebacker (and current @Huskers AD) Trev Alberts does Trev Alberts things and sets the career sack record against Kansas State.
Nebraska would go on to tame the Wildcats in a 45-28 shootout in Lincoln.#GBR🌽🏈🎈#Blackshirts☠️@NEBrewingCo 🍻 pic.twitter.com/d8GcJVsVcR
— No Block💥No Rockᴺᴮᴺᴿ (@NBNRPodcast) May 28, 2022
While the Huskers were winning every contest during the regular season, the linebacker racked up 96 total tackles, 15 sacks, caused three fumbles and broke up one pass.
His sacks total tied a team record, and Alberts was recognized nationally.
Before the bowl season kicked off, he was chosen as first-team All-Big Eight, the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
Trev Alberts was a dominant linebacker at Nebraska from 1990–1993. A relentless pass rusher, he recorded 29.5 career sacks—still among the best in school history. In 1993, he won the Butkus Award & Jack Lambert Trophy, earning consensus All-American honors. A true Blackshirt… pic.twitter.com/Kx9qBf0TgR
— CFB Home (@CFBHome) June 23, 2025
Alberts was also recognized as the best linebacker in the country after receiving the Butkus Award (the first such award in Nebraska history) and the Jack Lambert Award.
Perhaps even more outstanding, Alberts was recognized for his work in the classroom as a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar Athlete and a first-team Academic All-American.
These awards were in addition to being a three-time academic all-conference member and receiving the NCAA Today’s Top Eight Award for academic excellence and an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
The Trev Alberts legend only grew when he donned a cast over a severely injured elbow in the Orange Bowl against Florida State, an injury sustained in the regular season finale against Oklahoma.
Despite the use of only one good arm, Alberts sacked ‘Noles quarterback Charlie Ward three times.
Still, the top-ranked team in the nation defeated the second-ranked Huskers 18-16, which ended with a game-winning FSU field goal in the final seconds.
“The last drive I felt terrible,” said Alberts in 2013. “I made some big plays, our defense made some big plays, but you measure champions by whether or not they get it done in the crucial times. And, quite frankly, we -and specifically, I- didn’t make a play on the last drive, and well…I lost, we lost. It doesn’t make me happy.”
Pre-Draft Buzz
Alberts wrapped up his career at Nebraska as arguably one of the best defensive players in program history.
He totaled 248 tackles, 45 tackles for loss (fourth in Nebraska history), 29.5 sacks (still tops in team history), one blocked kick and six passes broken up.
Eventually, his number 34 was retired by the Huskers, and he was chosen to be part of the Nebraska All-Century Team and placed in the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
A huge congrats to Trev Alberts on his induction to the College Football Hall of Fame! #GBR pic.twitter.com/51oYhvBMti
— Mike Riley (@Coach_Riley) January 10, 2015
The College Football Hall of Fame inducted Alberts in 2015.
Those accolades brought a lot to the table for NFL teams salivating for a good linebacker.
It just so happened that the Indianapolis Colts had two first-round picks in the 1994 Draft, and there was some buzz that the franchise liked Alberts.
Kiper v. Tobin
In the weeks leading up to the event, ESPN draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr., repeatedly explained the team’s need for a foundational quarterback.
It didn’t matter that then-general manager Bill Tobin had just signed free-agent QB Jim Harbaugh.
With their second overall selection in the first round, Tobin grabbed San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk.
Kiper liked the pick but cautioned that Indy still needed a quarterback.
When it was the Colts’ turn to pick again at number five, Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer was still on the board, one of the two signal-callers Kiper said the organization should take.
That’s why Kiper lost his cool when Tobin ultimately picked Alberts instead.
“I think it’s a typical Colt move,” said Kiper. “Here’s a team that needed a franchise quarterback. To pass up a Trent Dilfer when all you have is Jim Harbaugh, give me a break. That’s why the Colts are picking second every year in the draft, not battling for the Super Bowl like the other clubs in the National Football League.”
(Dilfer was snagged one pick later by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.)
April 24, 1994: After the Colts pick LB Trev Alberts 5th overall in the #NFLDraft, Mel Kiper rips them for not picking a QB like Trent Dilfer. In response, Colts GM Bill Tobin slams Kiper numerous times. pic.twitter.com/JjLnLISyZd
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) April 24, 2023
Fellow ESPN reporter Chris Mortenson appeared next with Tobin and relayed what Kiper had said.
The comment prompted the GM to tear into the analyst.
“…who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?” Tobin said. “I mean here’s a guy who criticizes everybody, whoever they take…Mel Kiper has no more credentials to do what he’s doing than my neighbor and my neighbor’s a postman and he doesn’t have season tickets to the NFL.”
Weeks later, the NFL vetoed the Colts’ initial contract with Alberts, which included a clause making sure he was always among the top three highest-paid linebackers in the league.
The two sides eventually agreed to a deal worth approximately $9.3 million.
Injury Prone
Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda needed a jolt of life in 1994.
The previous year, his team had won only four games, and that was after a 1992 season of nine-win football.
To stay on track in the AFC East (and keep his job), Marchibroda needed players.
Faulk started as a rookie and established himself as one of the best backs in the league with 1,282 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground and 522 yards and one score receiving.
Harbaugh, maligned by Mel Kiper Jr., started nine games and passed for over 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns.
Both helped the Indy offense improve from 27th in the NFL in 1993 to 18th in ‘94 and reach an 8-8 record.
Then there was Alberts.
Trev Alberts. The Colts taking him at #5 overall in the NFL draft in ‘94 set off a wonderful pissing match between Bill Tobin and Mel Kiper Jr.https://t.co/oh9K4m3k5D pic.twitter.com/lk1Boh3dDz
— Jake Tietz (@JakeTietz) March 16, 2025
During his rookie year, he failed to crack the starting lineup and was outplayed by veterans Quentin Coryatt and Steve Grant.
Alberts also sustained an elbow injury that limited him to five game appearances that totaled five tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.
Then, in 1995, the Colts surprised the NFL world by going 9-7 and beating San Diego and Kansas City on the road in the playoffs before losing the AFC Championship to Pittsburgh.
Harbaugh was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and given the moniker “Captain Comeback” for helping Indy win tight games in the fourth quarter.
Faulk did his part with over 1,500 combined yards and 14 total touchdowns.
Alberts was once again hampered by injuries, but saw action in 15 games and started three.
He had 37 total tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Early Retirement
Indianapolis returned to the postseason in 1996 with another 9-7 record but lost to the Steelers in the wild card round.
For the third year in a row, Alberts could not escape the injury bug and started four games while playing in nine total.
He bagged an interception for 19 return yards and had 27 combined tackles.
When the season ended, so did Alberts’ career.
Citing his numerous injuries, he retired after starting in just seven of 52 possible games, making 69 total tackles, four sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles.
Almost a decade later, Tobin disagreed with Alberts’ reason for retiring.
“He thought he had to retire because of injuries,” said Tobin in 2013.
In a way, Mel Kiper Jr. “won” the argument he made on draft day in 1994.
Alberts turned out to be a bust, and Dilfer eventually won a Super Bowl as a member of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 (although Kiper was wrong about his assessment of Harbaugh).
Far removed from his playing days, even Alberts understood what his pro career amounted to.
“I don’t shy away from the fact that I was probably the biggest flop in NFL history,” said Alberts in 2001.
Broadcaster
During his rookie year in 1994, Alberts had time to kill due to his injury and decided to try his hand at broadcasting.
It did not go well.
He was hired by ESPN to be a college football analyst for its ESPN2 network, and Alberts tried to wing it with little success.
“I was very immature and didn’t do any preparation,” said Alberts. “I didn’t really care about television.”
The former linebacker changed his tune following his retirement when he was hired by CNN for a similar role in 1997.
In 1999, he was part of the CNN/SI NFL preview show.
Making the switch to analyzing NFL games was intimidating at first.
“When I started doing the NFL show, I was too intimidated to call coaches,” he said. “I was almost ashamed of my NFL experience. It took time to get over that.”
Eventually, he got comfortable analyzing both the college and pro game and got the hang of his new line of work.
“A lot of guys have bigger names and better credentials,” Alberts said of the football analyst fraternity. “Let’s face it: I’ll always be a guy with 48 career NFL tackles or something like that. I can’t change that. So I just have to work harder at this job.”
ESPN brought Alberts into its main studio in 2002 as part of its College GameDay staff.
Three years later, the network fired Alberts after he failed to show for a GameDay assignment alongside Rece Davis and Mark May.
According to the network, Alberts believed he was not properly used by ESPN.
“He felt that he was playing second fiddle,” ESPN vice president Mark Shapiro said.
Athletic Director
Alberts wasn’t out of the sports game for very long.
In 2009, he returned to athletics when he was hired as the athletic director at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a role he served in until 2021.
His time at Omaha saw a lot of positive changes, including the opening of new sports facilities.
However, Alberts was pilloried for his decision to axe the wrestling and football programs in an effort to join the Summit League, a Division I conference.
Alberts’ alma mater reached out in 2021 and hired him to be their AD.
More success followed with several Cornhusker sports teams finishing in the top-10 in the NCAA.
He also decided to fire then-Nebraska football head coach (and fellow alum) Scott Frost in early September 2022 and replaced him with Matt Rhule in 2023.
"Coach Rhule is the guy that I thought he was when I hired him…. He's a great communicator, and now we're all hoping he's a great football coach."
Nebraska AD Trev Alberts on first-year head coach Matt Rhule. More Big Ten Media Days coverage:https://t.co/XbNi9YaaFR pic.twitter.com/dGaU58DAAq
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) July 27, 2023
The local media had a field day noting that the university would have saved nearly $8 million in buyout money if Alberts had simply waited a few more weeks to fire Frost.
Then, after believing he and his family would spend the rest of their days in Nebraska, Alberts was hired by Texas A&M in 2024 to fill their vacant AD role.
“I told my wife, Angie, ‘I will look at Texas A&M, and if this does not happen, I am never going to do this again. We are just going to live here the rest of our lives,’ which was kind of our plan,” Alberts said. “So, if I am being honest, I was not initially serious. But you start doing a little research, and you very quickly are blown away.”
Under his leadership, the Aggie women’s tennis and golf teams have seen great success, and the football team has improved.
Trev Alberts is not in Memphis or Corvallis.
He's at A&M spring football practice. pic.twitter.com/lOFkCiOqT1— Nicole Griffith (@nicolegriff_) March 22, 2024
Head coach Mike Elko led A&M to an 8-5 record in 2024 and was ranked as high as 19th in the 2025 preseason football polls.
References
https://www.houstonchronicle.com
https://footballfoundation.org
https://www.pro-football-reference.com
https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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