Oregon State Names Kevin Griffin New Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

After a search that lasted just over two months, Oregon State has found their new athletic director.

In a press conference Thursday morning, Oregon State President Jayatha Murthy introduced Kevin Griffin as the school's new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Griffin comes to Corvallis from that other OSU, the Ohio State University. In Columbus he was Ohio State's Director of Athletics for Business Strategy, with his focus on revenue generation. That includes revenue generation for student athletes.

That may be one of the reasons Griffin got the job. Oregon State has struggled to implement a successful Name, Image and Likeness program since the college landscape shifted. Last year, the school's agreement with Blueprint Sports came under scrutiny, eventually leading to the deal's termination. It also led to the departure of deputy athletic director Brent Blaylock.

Blaylock had also been viewed as a potential successor to Scott Barnes, whose seat had already grown hot before the Blueprint deal fell through. Barnes tenure as Oregon State's athletic director aligned with one of the most tumultuous periods in the program's history.

That period was highlighted by the near complete dissolution of the Pac-12 conference, with Oregon State and Washington State left holding the bag, so to speak, outside of a major conference. Barnes helped Oregon State work out a temporary alliance with the West Coast Conference, while working to rebuild the Pac-12 by taking a bite out of the Mountain West.

Barnes' last major act as Oregon State's athletic director was making two key hires for the school's major revenue generating programs. After firing Trent Bray midway through the 2025 season, Barnes hired JaMarcus Shepherd to be the school's new Head Football Coach. Then, with Wayne Tinkle finishing his final season as the Beavers Men's Basketball Coach earlier this year, Barnes hired Justin Joyner to take over the program.

With a new conference, a new football coach, and a new basketball coach, Griffin comes in with a mostly clean slate. He's been with the Buckeyes for most of his career, and even before his time in the athletic department he attended as a student and played for the football team.

In addition to his time with Ohio State, Griffin has held positions with the Cleveland Browns, DC United and with sports marketing firm AdCom. He also has a bit of a Pacific Northwest connection, having worked for the Seattle Seahawks from 2004 to 2013 in their fan relations department.

With Griffin's hiring, Barnes' retirement has been moved up from August 31st to July 5th. He will continue as an advisor for the athletic department until August 31st next year. We'll find out more about Griffin, and his plans for Oregon State, at a press conference Tuesday.

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