Utah State Hires Big Ten’s Diana Sabau As Athletic Director
Aug 7, 2023, 11:26 AM | Updated: Aug 8, 2023, 11:46 am
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah State University announced the hiring of Diana Sabau, former Big Ten Conference’s deputy commissioner, as the school’s next athletic director.
The school announced Sabau’s hire on Monday, August 7.
RELATED: Utah State University Names Jerry Bovee Interim Athletics Director
“Sources: Utah State is expected to hire Big Ten deputy commissioner Diana Sabau as the school’s next athletic director,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel tweeted about the move. “Prior to the Big Ten, Sabau worked as the senior deputy at Ohio State and was the sport administrator for football there.”
Sabau takes over for Jerry Bovee, who had served as the Aggies’ AD since November 2022.
Utah State University has named former @bigten deputy commissioner and chief sports officer @DianaSabau as the next vice president and director of @USUAthletics after a national search. Sabau will join #USU on August 21, 2023. #USUAggies #AggiesAllTheWayhttps://t.co/r383TSUh69
— Utah State University (@USUAggies) August 7, 2023
Prior to his time at Utah State, Bovee was the athletic director at Weber State University.
Bovee replaced John Hartwell, who resigned as USU’s athletic director in November 2022. Hartwell was at Utah State from 2015-22.
According to the Big Ten, Sabau has been serving as the league’s deputy commissioner and chief sports officer. Sabau oversaw “the administration of all 28 Big Ten Conference sponsored sports, which includes managing affiliate memberships, competition, scheduling, championships, sportsmanship, officiating, and awards. The role was created in 2021, making Sabau the first Big Ten Conference chief sports officer in the 125-year history of the conference.”
Before joining the Big Ten, Sabau was a senior deputy athletic director at Ohio State University. She has a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University and a bachelor’s from St. Bonaventure University. Sabau also attended Oxford University and Somerville College.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on X/Twitter (@kyleireland), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl), and Threads (@kyleirelandksl).