Former Nebraska assistant coach Trent Bray is officially now a head coach. The 41-year-old former Oregon State linebacker has been named the head coach at his alma mater, taking over the Beavers program following the departure of Jonathan Smith, who recently took the head coaching job at Michigan State.
Bray was an assistant coach for the Cornhuskers from 2015 through 2017, serving as the program’s linebackers coach under then-head coach Mike Riley. Following the firing of Riley in late November of 2017, Bray was named the Huskers’ interim head coach before the Huskers eventually hired Scott Frost.
Following his departure from Lincoln, Bray returned to Corvallis where Jonathan Smith hired him as the Beavers’ linebacker coach in 2018. In 2022, he was promoted to the defensive coordinator position. Following the promotion of Bray, the Beavers went 20-9 over the last two seasons, including this season, Bray’s defense helped lead the Beavers to an 8-4 record in the regular season, allowing 21.4 points per game.
The Cornhuskers won’t get the opportunity to face Bray’s old boss Jonathan Smith, in 2024 but are set to meet the Spartans at home in 2025.
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