What is Troy Dannen like and other FAQs
It's a new month so let’s dive into a few of the frequently asked questions received about Nebraska over the last week or so.
It’s a new week and a new month. After a wild March, it feels good to start fresh.
As we turn the page, let’s dive into a few of the frequently asked questions I’ve received over the last week or so.
What is Troy Dannen like?
I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Nebraska’s new athletic director outside of a formal press conference setting, but he seems genuine. He also seems passionate about Nebraska, which is always a positive.
If you haven’t already, Brandon recently looked at Dannen and the path he took that got him to Lincoln. I won’t rehash that here.
Instead, I’ll offer what a few people I spoke with said about him. These are people that knew him from his time at Tulane, and knew him in a variety of settings — from the athletic department to media to fans and beyond.
The general consensus is that he’s good at his job and that he cares quite a bit.
“One of the first things I thought is that Nebraska fans will probably like him (because) he does all the little things,” one person responded.
That seems promising. Obviously time will tell, but it’s never a bad thing to receive positive reviews from those that have known you on your journey.
Will the stadium renovation project go forward as planned?
Probably not, but that’s not to say it won’t happen at all.
I’ve seen a lot of people saying it’ll be scrapped entirely, and I’m not sure that’ll be the case. South Stadium still needs an overhaul, as does a lot of the infrastructure within the whole stadium. For those that want alcohol at Memorial Stadium, it won’t happen until the point of sales process can be upgraded. That’ll rely on upgraded wifi, better access to concourses from stadium seats, etc. That’s not even touching on the fact that Memorial Stadium is far from ADA compliant, and would certainly be nice to get it there for the comfortability and access of all fans.
The departure of Trev Alberts left the $450 million renovation project with a big question mark, one that Dannen was not yet able to address in his introductory press conference.
“I can’t even answer to the delay because I don’t even know what the timeline is,” Dannen said. “There’s that much for me to learn. I need to understand the model, I need to understand the financing behind it, I need to understand the objective behind it.”
Dannen’s primary focus: does it help Nebraska win? That return on investment is top of the list.
There’s a lot we don’t know, but what we do know is that Dannen expected the briefing process to begin quickly. Time is of the essence, especially when the original timeline had South Stadium’s demolition scheduled at the conclusion of the 2024 football season.
“This is a high-interest-rate environment we’re in right now so I don’t know what the actual costs are,” Dannen said. “I don’t know what the design is. And frankly, I don’t know what the buy-in is from everybody on the project. So I’ve got a lot to learn.
“But it has to come fast, I do understand that, because the longer it takes, I will tell you, the more expensive anything’s going to be.”
This isn’t Dannen’s first time overseeing a project like this. He oversaw a number of projects and renovations during his time at Northern Iowa and Tulane. That included renovations to Northern Iowa’s West Gym and the UNI-Dome. He also oversaw a number of renovations and upgrades to various facilities at Tulane.
All of that to say: Dannen has the experience and seems eager to dive in. Will the project end up looking exactly like the one originally proposed by Alberts last fall? Probably not, but it should be interesting to hear Dannen’s thoughts once he’s had time to get caught up.
Is there anything I missed this week that I need to know about?
There’s no way you missed this, but in case you did: Keisei Tominaga will compete in the 3-point contest at the Final Four this weekend. The video announcement was great, and I stand firmly in the camp that there should be a contest for coaches too.
Speaking of basketball, you wrote one week ago that we’d know soon if anyone would transfer. Seems like a few are?
Yeah . . . I’m surprised by a couple of the Huskers that have entered the portal, but I also get it. Since last week’s newsletter, Ramel Lloyd Jr., Eli Rice, Blaise Keita and C.J. Wilcher all entered the portal.
Nebraska now has five open scholarships to fill. Coach Fred Hoiberg and his staff are obviously out recruiting and touching base with prospects, so more to come.
What about football practice this week?
We’re expecting post-practice availability Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Twitter/X will be the place for more immediate updates, but we’ll also have stories and more to come here.
One story I’m particularly interested in following this spring is the evolution of the three teams within the team: the Bugeaters, the Old Gold Knights and the Rattlesnake Boys. The three quarterbacks — Heinrich Haarberg, Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin — each captain one of the teams. Injured players act as general managers of their respective teams.
As for why Rhule has broken it down this way, it all comes back to competition.
"What we've found with our guys— and I was making fun of them out there— is if I told you that you had 36 reps of third down, guys would be, 'Oh, my legs.' I say, 'Hey guys, we're going to compete,' and they're like, 'Run it back. Do it again,'" Rhule said. "These guys love competition. They grew up in an era of playing Madden and playing MarioKart. They just love to compete."
What I’m interested in is how these teams maybe do — or do not — surface for the spring game. Is it how Rhule breaks things down? Is it the final day of competition before a winner is crowned for spring?
Should be a fun aspect to watch.