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The Impact Of Realignment On Revenue Generation With LEARFIELD, Fresno State & Utah State

Guest Deana Barnes, LEARFIELD; Garrett Klassy, Fresno State; Diana Sabau, Utah State
24:16 watch

Summary

LEARFIELD Executive Vice President Deana Barnes sits down with Fresno State Director of Athletics Garrett Klassy and Utah State Vice President & Athletics Director Diana Sabau to discuss the impact of conference realignment on revenue generation opportunities as both institutions prepare to enter a reimagined Pac-12 Conference in 2026.

Sabau and Klassy offer insight into the strategic thinking and action items each department has tapped into as they prepare to kick off a new “challenger brand” alongside the restructured Pac-12, with Sabau noting that the Aggies took a hard look at ticket pricing and have prioritized “future proofing” the department via NIL opportunities and innovative partnerships. Sabau: “I am really engaged with the energy of our fanbase, of our donors, of our investors who believe and they want Utah State to be as competitive in the Pac-12 as we have been in our previous conferences. Utah State has a long lineage of conference memberships, so this integration is very important to us.”

Meanwhile Klassy dives into the regionality of Fresno State’s footprint and opportunities for cross-campus collaboration when it comes to revenue generation. Klassy: “We control our destiny when it comes to the storytelling piece and that becomes our brand value.”

The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).

  • - Diana, talk about your path - you're a female athletic director in Division I. Talk about how you got there and how you're thinking about revenue.
  • - What was your first role under Gene at Ohio State?
  • - Do you remember when in your journey you decided "I'm going to go for an athletic director" or did it happen organically?
  • - Garrett, over to you.
  • - The breadth of finding incremental revenue at different institutional profiles probably helped you get where you are today.
  • - How are you going to leverage the Pac-12 brand to start off in a new place within the conference and within Division I athletics?
  • - Garrett, how are you thinking about this new, post-realignment opportunity for Fresno State?
  • - It's a new beginning for the Pac-12 and you get to be part of defining that new brand and its value.
  • - How are you thinking about your NIL strategy with your student-athletes?
  • - What are some additional opportunities you're pursuing when it comes to revenue generation?
  • - You were intentional about thinking about the campus-wide connections. How did you think about that from Day 1 and what were the first things you did to get that moving?
  • - What other opportunities have you tapped into in order to take advantage of campus resources or facilities in order to drive additional revenue for your department?
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