Oregon State AD Scott Barnes, who for almost a decade “guided one of the most turbulent periods” in school sports history, “is retiring.” Barnes, who had four years remaining on his contract, will serve as AD “until August 31, when he’ll retire and become a senior advisor for athletics through Aug. 31, 2027.” Barnes’ decision comes after the Pac-12 finalizing media rights deals with CBS Sports, USA Sports and The CW ahead of the reformed conference’s July 1 launch. Barnes began discussing his retirement with OSU president Jayathi Murthy “in August” and they “agreed the launch of the new Pac-12 was the best time for him to depart.” A $162M campaign to rebuild the west side of Reser Stadium was “among several significant athletics facility upgrades to take place” under Barnes. But his time at OSU also saw the school lose its “status as a Power Five school” and the “messy rollout” of an NIL program that led to the resignation of an executive deputy AD. OSU plans to “retain a search firm to conduct a national search” for a new AD (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/26).
Oregon State AD Scott Barnes to retire from role
