Utah State Athletic Director Diana Sabau is leaving Logan.
Sabau is set to take a new role at the University of Maryland, the university announced on Wednesday. Her last day with USU will be on July 21.
“I am grateful for my time at Utah State University and all we accomplished, from fundraising milestones to conference championships and success beyond the playing fields, including our outstanding academic accomplishments,” Sabau said in a news release.
In her two years at USU, Sabau guided the Aggies’ jump from the Mountain West Conference to the rebuilt Pac-12. She hired football coach Bronco Mendenhall, men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun and oversaw a multimillion-dollar fundraising effort.
She also found herself at the center of criticism at times, and will leave while USU is facing an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit.
Sabau was hired in August 2023 after serving as the Big Ten Conference’s deputy commissioner and chief sports officer. She had previously worked as the senior deputy athletics director at Ohio State University, where she oversaw football and women’s ice hockey.
She was the first female athletic director in Utah State history.
In March 2024, Sabau hired Calhoun to replace Danny Sprinkle. Calhoun would go on to lead the Aggies to 26 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance
Sabau drew some criticism in July 2024, when USU fired deputy ADs Jerry Bovee, Amy Crosbie and football coach Blake Anderson for alleged breaches of the school’s Title IX policies. Anderson has since sued USU and Sabau, claiming he was wrongfully terminated. The lawsuit, which is still pending, seeks $15 million in damages.
Sabau later signed Mendenhall, the former BYU coach who spent last season at New Mexico, to lead the Aggies football program.
In addition to orchestrating the Aggies’ exit from the Mountain West (USU will officially join the Pac-12 Conference in 2026), Sabau also helped raise $29 million in gifts and pledges in her first two years, USU has said.
“Our mission over the past two years has been to modernize the athletics department and position Utah State for long-term success while building a championship culture for USU student-athletes,” Sabau said. “I am extremely grateful to all of those who invested in our student-athletes and showed an energized commitment to revenue sharing and a modernized NIL structure.
“The department has grown and is well-prepared to thrive as it joins the new Pac-12 in 2026. The opportunity at the University of Maryland takes me back to a conference I love, and a high-functioning Power 4 environment in a region where I have spent most of my athletics career.”
Sabau’s move follows the exit of former USU and now Washington State University President Elizabeth Cantwell in February. This will be the second time in two years that Utah State has been without a full-time president and athletic director.