Former Eastern Washington AD Scott Barnes hired at Pittsburgh

Longtime Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes is now the man in charge at Pittsburgh. The school announced Friday it has hired Barnes to take over the vacant athletic director position. Barnes replaces Steve Pederson, who stepped down in December. Barnes spent the last seven years at Utah State, helping the Aggies build a competitive football program that has averaged 10 wins a year over the last three seasons. Barnes also guided Utah State to a spot in the revamped Mountain West Conference in 2013. He was athletic director at Eastern Washington from 1999-2005. The 52-year-old Barnes will be in charge of helping the Panthers gain traction in the ACC, particularly in football. The school says Barnes was a unanimous choice from the pool of candidates. – AP