The Aggies will lean on another Big Ten hire to lead their athletic department.
(Barry Reeger | AP) Former Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour walks on the field in State College, Pa., on Sept.25, 2021. Barbour was named Utah State University’s interim athletic director on July 18, 2025.
Utah State has another temporary leader of its athletics department.
For the third time in three years, the Aggies will listen to a new voice — this time former Penn State AD Sandy Barbour.
Barbour retired in Happy Valley in 2022 after an eight-year stint as the school’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics. She spent time at Cal, Notre Dame, Tulane and Northwestern before Penn State.
Since stepping down, she has worked at Huron, a consulting firm that advises universities and athletic departments.
“Barbour, and the team at Huron, bring extensive experience and expertise in championship-level Division I athletics, including NIL, operations, finance, recruiting, facilities management and marketing.” Alan Smith, the university’s interim president, said in a news release. “They will provide a valuable national perspective on the evolving college athletics landscape and our transition into the Pac-12, while also bringing stability to our athletics leadership team.”
Barbour will temporarily fill the void created after former athletic director Diana Sabau left for Maryland. Sabau spent two years in Logan, hiring both the football and basketball coaches. She guided USU into the Pac 12 from the Mountain West.
But she left amid ongoing lawsuits from former interim athletic director Jerry Bovee and former football coach Blake Anderson for wrongful termination.
Utah State also doesn’t have a full-time president in place after Elizabeth Cantwell left for Washington State. Smith was named the interim president this spring.
“It is typical for interim presidents to defer major leadership hires, but given the importance of this moment, maintaining our momentum is critical,” Smith said. “We must press forward to be competitively prepared for our first season in the Pac-12, continue to modernize operations, and strengthen our financial model to ensure a sustainable and competitive future for our student-athletes and athletics program. The time is now to secure our next transformative leader for USU Athletics.”