Nebraska Names Washington's Troy Dannen Athletic Director

It was announced Wednesday that Nebraska has hired Washington athletic director Troy Dannen as the school's new athletic director. 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. It also gives the school an experienced athletic director who brings a strong football background and both Midwest ties and immediate familiarity with the Big Ten.

"Joining the Nebraska family is truly an honor," said Dannen in a statement. "My family and I are humbled by the opportunity to be 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 in the state and I've found that we share a similar approach to life, work and sports: Work hard, stay humble, compete and expect to win."

Dannen came to 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.

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Nebraska moved quickly in the wake of Alberts' sudden and unexpected departure to Texas A&M, with interim president Chris Kabourek leading the search.

While in the American Athletic Conference, Dannen built a relationship with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who worked at Temple from 2013 to '16. They'll work closely together as Rhule enters his second season in Lincoln.

Dannen will be Nebraska's fourth athletic director since 2013, as the school has struggled in football over that span and failed to compete consistently at the top of the Big Ten.