New Maryland athletic director Jim Smith’s department is rounding into form.
The Terps tabbed Utah State athletic director Diana Sabau as chief deputy athletic director, the school announced Wednesday, adding Smith’s top assistant as the pair look to guide the athletic department into the reshaped landscape of college athletics.
“Diana comes to Maryland with a history of building dynamic winning cultures in college athletics,” Smith said in a news release. “She has worked in all facets of intercollegiate athletics at the highest levels with some of the most successful programs in the country. She has extensive experience, knowledge, and relationships throughout the country, which will be a major benefit to Maryland. We are so excited to add her to our leadership team at Maryland and know she will have a major impact on the future success of all of our Terrapins.”
Sabau (pronounced say-bo) was Utah State’s athletic director for the previous two years. There, she oversaw the school’s move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 and hired new football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball coaches. The Aggies produced a school-record four conference championships in her first year.
Before joining Utah State, she spent two years as the deputy commissioner and chief sports officer for the Big Ten after working in Ohio State’s athletic department for two decades, overlapping there with Smith before he transitioned to a career in professional sports.
In her new role in College Park, which she’ll begin July 28, Sabau will be responsible for “implementing new strategies and initiatives, including revenue-share management, contract negotiations, football scheduling, creating operating efficiencies, enhancing the overall student-athlete experience, and correspondence with the Big Ten Conference,” according to the release.
“Coming back to a conference that I know and love is important and special to me,” Sabau said in the release. “This is a dynamic time for all of college athletics, and I’m eager to help drive strategic growth, operational excellence, and a student-athlete-centered culture that reflects Maryland’s tradition of excellence.”
Alongside Smith, the top of Maryland’s athletic department now features Sabau and Joe LaBue. LaBue, a Maryland alumnus, was named deputy athletic director/chief revenue officer last month. LaBue previously served as president of the Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC and was discussed as a candidate for Maryland’s athletic director opening, The Baltimore Sun reported in April.
Together, the trio will be tasked with stabilizing Maryland in the revenue-sharing era. Starting July 1, all Division I schools can pay their student-athletes directly as a result of the settlement of three antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA. Former athletic director Damon Evans announced in January — and associate athletic director Kirby Mills reaffirmed in June — that the Terps plan to commit the full $20.5 million limit to revenue sharing and that most of it would go to football and men’s and women’s basketball, a strategy that coincides with most other schools that have made their plans public.
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