Nebraska Cornhuskers fans might have been surprised just how quickly the university moved when John Cook announced his retirement. It would make sense if people thought the plan to bring in his replacement had been in the works for months and everyone just kept it under wraps for longer than most people could ever expect.
As it turns out, while NU did keep things under wraps, it didn’t do it for nearly as long as some might expect. Keeping the secret that John Cook was stepping down and that Dani Busboom Kelly was stepping up was impressive. But perhaps even more impressive is how quickly the plan was rolled out.
The now former Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball head coach laid out just how fast things moved during his official press conference on Thursday. And when all the smoke had cleared, it took less than a week from Cook saying it was time, to make sure the Busboom Kelly was on board and ready to leave Louisville.
Nebraska Cornhuskers move blindingly fast in John Cook succession plan
During the press conference, Cook shared that he went to Troy Dannen last Thursday. It was here where he told the Nebraska AD that it was time to put the succession plan together.
Less than a week later, the program announced Cook was retiring after nearly a quarter of a century. Just moments after that announcement went live, the university made sure everyone knew that Busboom Kelly was on board.
The former Nebraska Cornhuskers player and Louisville Cardinals coach who took the ACC team to the title match this year, is stepping into some big shoes. Clearly it didn’t take much for her to think about whether that was something she wanted to do.
Dani Busboom Kelly was also paid handsomely, with the reported salary just about doubling what she was making with the Cardinals. Still, the speed with which the Nebraska Cornhuskers moved has been impressive from the jump. It’s how to handle this kind of thing and should be used as a model by other programs, moving forward.