Nebraska AD Troy Dannen sets Day 1 focus on NIL efforts, voices support for 1890 Initiative

Wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie, Troy Dannen took the stage for his formal introduction as Nebraska’s athletic director.

On his blazer sat a red “N” lapel pin of the Nebraska logo — yet Dannen could envision himself wearing a different brand’s logo in the coming weeks and months.

“You’re going to see me wearing 1890 stuff as much as I wear Nebraska stuff because it’s about this: recruitment and retention of our student-athletes,” Dannen said, referring to Nebraska’s most prominent NIL collective. 

Both in his address to university leadership and boosters and during his ensuing press conference with reporters, Dannen repeatedly emphasized the importance of recruiting and then retaining talented student-athletes at Nebraska.

The way to get it done, according to Dannen, is through supporting The 1890 Initiative. Unlike his predecessor, Trev Alberts, whose measured support of Nebraska’s NIL efforts often occurred quietly behind closed doors, Dannen wasted no time publicly setting a new precedent for how Nebraska’s athletic director would interact with its NIL support system.