Editors note: if you somehow got a screenshot of this article with a different title, such as “Scott Barnes Leaving Pitt” that’s because someone hit the “publish button” instead of “save as draft” and the story was published before its proper time. Sometimes WordPress is a pain. We regret any confusion this may have caused. Also, if you went and got a cached version and shared that, well, same thing. However, we never stated that Barnes had accepted a position at Oregon State in any draft, published or unpublished. That’s your mistake Mr. Barnes and 93.7 The Fan.
Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes is expected to resign and take the same position with Oregon State University, multiple sources tell Pittsburgh Sports Now.
Barnes, 56, had been with Pitt since April 2015, when he came over from Utah State University, where he was also athletic director.
The Oregon State job opened when former AD Todd Stansbury departed for Georgia Tech in September. Barnes was first named as a potential candidate in late September, which he later refuted.
“I was completely unaware of the article and speculation until it was just brought to my attention,” Barnes said to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Sept. 23. “Obviously, my full focus and energy has been directed at what we have going on at Pitt. … I don’t think it is appropriate for me to talk about another institution’s personnel search, but I can tell you my family and I feel very fortunate to be in Pittsburgh, and we are incredibly excited about our future here.”
The most notable item of Barnes’ tenure in Pittsburgh was the hiring of head basketball coach Kevin Stallings, which was made controversial due to the use of a search firm owned by his former boss at Washington, Todd Turner. Barnes was initially hired at Pitt by such a firm and it raised questions of potential conflicts of interest.
“It was the most expeditious way to do it,” Barnes said during Stallings’ introductory press conference. “It was a guy who I trust and have confidence in who we’ve used at other schools. It was a lot like any consultant or the associate AD [hiring]. If you’re comfortable, you’re going to keep going back.”
The Oregon State athletic director search was headed by College Sports Solutions, another such search firm.
The move to Oregon State represents something of a return to Barnes’ roots. He is a Washington native and before taking the Pitt job, Barnes had spent his entire career in the western part of the country, with stops at Washington, Eastern Washington, Humboldt State, Iowa State, Pacific, and San Diego. Barnes is a Fresno State alum.
Once again, multiple sources are telling Pittsburgh Sports Now that it’s likely Barnes is headed back west to run the Oregon State athletic department.
Update, 10:07 p.m: Barnes released the following statement through Pitt media relations:
“I am aware of a report stating that I have accepted a position at Oregon State. That report is not true.”
