Utah State has its new athletic director. For a time, at least.
Interim USU president Al Smith announced Friday morning that Sandy Barbour has been tabbed to lead USU athletics on an interim basis.
“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 in a statement.
“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.”
Smith also announced the creation of an “ad hoc advisory group,” which will consist of both internal and external stakeholders of Utah State University. Barbour will co-chair the group, along with USU alumnus Doug Fiefia. The purpose of the group is to provide Smith with insight into what is needed from a full-time permanent athletic director.
“The committee will provide Smith with recommendations on essential and preferred job qualifications of the next USU athletic director, ways for the athletic director to meaningfully engage USU stakeholders, and critical directions for advancing the mission and national recognition of USU Athletics,” reads a statement from the university.
The expectations are that the committee will have its recommendations in by early August, after which USU will start looking for a permanent AD.
Who is Sandy Barbour?
Barbour is no stranger to collegiate athletics.
Between stops at Cal, Notre Dame, Tulane, Northwestern and Penn State, she has over 40 years experience. She was the AD at Penn State from 2019 through 2022 and was named Sports Business Journal’s athletic director of the year in 2022.
Now with Huron, a consulting group that helps clients in the healthcare, higher education, life sciences and commercial sectors, Barbour’s role has been to “support universities in developing long-term athletics strategies, refining business and financial models, assessing facility feasibility, ensuring leadership continuity, and prioritizing student-athlete well-being.”
Barbour and Huron are now tasked with doing just that at Utah State.
“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.” Smith said. “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 officially assume her role as interim AD at Utah State on July 21, 2025, and the university announced that further details regarding the upcoming search for a full-time permanent AD will “be shared as they become available.”