Nebraska TE coach Bob Wager resigns

Longtime former Texas high school football coach Bob Wager announced his resignation Friday as the Nebraska tight ends coach after he was cited early Wednesday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and four other counts. Here’s what you need to know:

• First-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule hired Wager, 53, from Arlington Martin High School in January. Wager spent 17 of his 26 seasons in the high school ranks at Martin and led the school to playoff appearances every year.
• Wager recruited three players this year to Nebraska from Arlington Martin, including his son, Gage Wager, a walk-on punter who’s set to be a freshman this fall. The Huskers also signed tight end Ismael Smith Flores and wide receiver Jeremiah Charles from Martin.
• Josh Martin will replace Wager and coach the Huskers’ tight ends.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

How will Wager’s departure impact Nebraska?

The Huskers report for preseason camp this weekend and open practice Monday. Wager filled a key role for Nebraska as the second-oldest coach on Rhule’s staff and an important recruiter in the state of Texas. His experience will be missed. Wager was also set to play a role with Nebraska’s special teams.

The group of tight ends in camp includes two former highly ranked recruits, Thomas Fidone and Arik Gilbert, both of whom have yet to make a major impact in college. Martin must make up for lost time at the position and adjust a time that’s less than ideal.

Backstory

Wager was stopped for a traffic offense while driving a Toyota Tundra at 1:24 a.m. ET on Wednesday near Lincoln’s Haymarket district, according to Lincoln Police Duty Commander Jason Wesch. The officer suspected that Wager was intoxicated, Wesch said. Wager was taken to a detoxification facility. In addition to DUI, he was cited for refusal to take a preliminary breath test, refusal of a chemical test, careless driving and driving with an open alcohol container in his vehicle, according to Wesch.

Martin coached tight ends from 2018 to 2021 at SMU and spent three seasons as a full-time assistant at Arizona State, where he coached running backs and tight ends. He had been working in his first year as a special teams analyst for Nebraska.

What Wager said

“I am grateful for the opportunity extended to me and sincerely sorry for any negativity my poor decision has brought to my family, our team and all those that I have disappointed,” Wager said in the statement released by Nebraska.

Required reading

(Photo: Eric Francis / Getty)