Report: Ted Carter leaving Nebraska to become next president at Ohio State

University of Nebraska system president Ted Carter is leaving the school to become the next president at Ohio State University.

Carter announced the news officially on Tuesday afternoon, also saying that he will serve on the Nebraska Board of Regents until Dec. 31 to give "the Board a runway to determine next steps for leadership of the University of Nebraska System."

"This was a bittersweet decision for Lynda and me," Carter said in his statement. "In our four years here, we have come to treasure Nebraska as our own home state. In every community we’ve visited, Nebraskans have welcomed us with open arms and genuine love for their university. This is a special place, with special people, whose university is achieving great things for the state and the world.

"Ultimately, Ohio State offers the opportunity to continue to advance the work and mission of public higher education at another leading Big Ten university. Just as Lynda and I saw the University of Nebraska four years ago as the next calling in our lives of service, we now see Ohio State as a calling that we will do our best to answer."

Nebraska Examiner political reporter Aaron Sanderford was the first to report the news as Ohio State's Board of Trustees held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon for a final vote to accept Carter as the school's next president. You can read Sanderford's full report here.

Carter began his tenure as Nebraska's eighth system president on Jan. 1, 2020. Previously, he was the president of the U.S. Naval War College and the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

In June, Carter was unanimously voted by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents to take over policy direction and oversight of the Husker athletics department. That included Carter taking the university's spot on the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors. he was set to have oversight of the Big Ten's policies, budget and operations in addition to having a vote on hiring the conference commissioner.

In regard to Nebraska football specifically, one of the primary reasons for optimism that the Huskers are finally trending in the right direction has been alignment from the top of the program to the bottom. That started with Carter, athletics director Trev Alberts and football coach Matt Rhule.

Rhule had effusive praise for Carter, nicknamed "The Admiral," as part of a speech in front of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on May 10. He pointed to Carter as one of the major reasons he took the job as the Huskers' head coach after he was fired by the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

“One of the keys to coming here is I wanted to come here with the right people and the right partners," Rhule said. "I have a couple people that work for me here, and they’re people that you in the Lincoln community might wanna know and have relationships with. I hope you feel like we very much wanna be a part, not next to but a part, of the community. ... As I went through that process figuring out where I was gonna go, it wasn’t about places or schools necessarily, at first. It was about people. Angie Alberts, Trev Alberts, Admiral Ted Carter. As we got to know these people, those were the three reasons we came to Lincoln with a fourth soon to come (the city of Lincoln is what Rhule later referenced as the fourth reason).

“One of my mentors, (former NFL general manager) Mike Lombardi ... was like, ‘Wait a minute now. The Admiral’s there? Go work for the Admiral.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes sir. But I’m still trying to figure this thing out.’ And then (New England Patriots coach) Bill Belichick called me. Bill is kind of real quiet and all that. He’s like, ‘Well, man. I know Ted Carter. If Ted Carter’s there, you should go work for him.’ But I still wasn’t sure. And then, finally, my wife got frustrated because she knew from day one that we should come to Lincoln, Nebraska. My wife said, ‘Stop being stupid. Go work for the Admiral.’ That’s a true story. And they were right.”

>>> Insider's Board: Discuss the news of Ted Carter's potential departure

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