With football season right around the corner, it looks like the Pitt Panthers athletic program has finally found an athletic director.
According to multiple reports, Pitt is set to hire Utah State’s Scott Barnes as its next AD.
An official announcement could come as soon as Friday.
Pitt has gone without a full time AD since Steve Pederson was fired on December 18.
The 52-year old Barnes has been the AD at Utah State since 2008 where the Aggies have made significant improvements to their athletic programs.
The Utah State football program has gone to four consecutive bowl games, while their basketball program is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament.
The resurgence in the Utah State football program was led by the hiring of head coaches Gary Andersen and Matt Wells which, in turn, helped the Aggies gain membership into the Mountain West Conference.
At Pitt, Barnes will be working hand-in-hand with first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi in hopes of turning the Panthers football program around.
Barnes has also served as the chairman of the NCAA Men’s Basketball committee this past season.
One of the hot topics on Barnes’ plate once he begins the job at Pitt will be the status of the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia. That’s especially true since new West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said the possibility of renewing the series existed.
Pitt and West Virginia haven’t played each other in football since 2011.
Prior to accepting the job at Utah State, Barnes was the AD at Eastern Washington from 1999-2005, and a senior associate athletic director at Washington from 2005-08.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
