Coach Fred Hoiberg was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year on April 3, 2026, capping a breakthrough 2025-26 season that rewrote the record books for the Cornhuskers program.
Hoiberg, who received the award in Indianapolis during the Final Four, becomes the first men’s basketball coach in Nebraska history to earn the honor in the award’s 59-year existence. He is the 10th Big Ten coach to win the AP Coach of the Year since 1967 and just the second in the past two decades. The award is voted on by a national panel of media members responsible for the weekly AP Top 25 poll.
Only the second Husker coach overall to receive the distinction—following women’s basketball coach Connie Yori in 2009-10—Hoiberg’s recognition underscores the remarkable transformation he has led since arriving in Lincoln.
A Season for the Record Books
Picked to finish 14th in the Big Ten in the preseason, Nebraska instead delivered the greatest season in program history. The Huskers finished 28-7 overall, setting a new school record for wins. They went 15-5 in conference play to tie for second place—the program’s best Big Ten finish in more than three decades—and established additional program marks with 15 conference victories and seven conference road wins.
The season began with a bang: Nebraska opened 20-0 and extended a school-record 24-game winning streak that dated back to the previous year. The Huskers climbed as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll—the highest ranking in school history—and spent eight weeks inside the Top 10.
Postseason success followed. In the NCAA Tournament, Nebraska earned its first-ever tournament victories with wins over Troy and No. 16 Vanderbilt, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Six of the Huskers’ seven losses during the entire season came against teams that reached the Elite Eight, highlighting the elevated level of competition they faced.
A Well-Deserved Honor
The AP honor comes on the heels of other accolades for Hoiberg, including Big Ten Coach of the Year recognition from his fellow coaches earlier in the season. Media voters who ranked Nebraska in the Top 25 for a program-record stretch throughout the year clearly took notice of his impact.
Hoiberg’s achievement is even more impressive considering the program’s trajectory before his arrival. In just his seventh year at the helm, he has turned a long-struggling program into a legitimate national contender built on player development, defensive intensity, and a culture that resonated with Nebraska fans.
As the Huskers celebrated their historic campaign, Hoiberg’s individual recognition serves as a fitting exclamation point. For a coach with deep Nebraska roots, this moment represents more than a personal milestone. It signals the arrival of Nebraska basketball on the national stage.
The future in Lincoln now looks brighter than ever under Hoiberg’s leadership. What began as a preseason afterthought ended as one of the most memorable seasons in Big Ten and program history and the AP National Coach of the Year award ensures that legacy will be remembered.