Outgoing Pitt AD Scott Barnes' last day is Feb. 12, but he "won’t be around as often starting at the end of January," according to Brian Batko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Barnes, who will become Oregon State AD on Feb. 13, said that he has a "'minor surgery' that will keep him out of the office full time, but that he will be available for meetings with staffers and the interim athletic director, who could be appointed within the next week." Barnes "believes his legacy" at Pitt is one of "changing the culture in the athletic department." Barnes said, "There’s way too many pieces and heavy lifts in the intercollegiate athletic enterprise to weigh your legacy or whatever you want to call it on one hire or one thing. I think what we’re proud of is that we have been very transparent, methodical about putting a really good plan together." For now, Barnes' role will "consist of trying to bring whomever is hired in his stead up to speed, while also assisting the search committee in finding candidates to fill his job." He previously has worked with DHR Int'l, the search firm "Pitt is using for its AD vacancy, but even more so, he wants to do something chancellor Patrick Gallagher has requested of him." Barnes "wants to tell potential AD targets just why he is leaving Pitt after a year and a half" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/7). In Portland, Gina Mizell noted Barnes will "sign a six-year contract with a base salary of $850,000" with OSU. The base salary will also include a 3% "increase each year for cost of living." Additionally, the deal "includes up to $125,000 in potential bonuses." The base salary is a "significant increase" from the $500,000 former AD Todd Stansbury earned when he signed with OSU in June of '15 (OREGONLIVE.com, 1/7).
GOPHER GOLD: In St. Paul, Andy Greder noted the Univ. of Minnesota "will pay" $3.5M for P.J. Fleck to coach the football team in '17 -- and $5M for "fired coach Tracy Claeys and his staff not to." In a letter to UM supporters, President Eric Kaler on Friday said, "As a member of the Big Ten in Division I sports, it is, I’m afraid to say, the cost of doing business." Fleck’s five-year contract is worth about $18M, "including a $600,000 buyout to be paid to his former employer, Western Michigan" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/7). Also in St. Paul, Charley Walters reported UM hired "no search firm" in landing Fleck, while "no outside committee was used." UM AD Mark Coyle said, "I've done these three searches, and I've never used a search firm." Those searches would be Coyle's hiring of football coaches Dino Babers at Syracuse, Bryan Harsin at Boise State and now Fleck (ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS, 1/8). The PIONEER PRESS' Brian Murphy wrote under the header, "Gophers AD Mark Coyle Emerges From The Mess." Murphy: "Coyle spent several squeamish weeks swatting at prairie fires with lawyered talking points and widening his credibility gap with players, fans, alumni and regents." Murphy: "He identified his savior and reeled in Fleck with clinical precision that betrayed the AD more as a shark stalking his prey than the clumsy bureaucrat in way over his head" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/7).
