Pernetti is the second commissioner in the history of the AAC. He’ll succeed Mike Aresco, who retired in December 2023.

READ: Memphis extends HC Ryan Silverfield through 2028

“It is truly an honor to be selected by the Chancellors and Presidents of the American Athletic Conference to serve as their commissioner at this important time in collegiate athletics that demands innovative leadership and consensus-driven change,” Pernetti stated in a release. “I am fired-up to work alongside our board, conference staff, athletics directors and coaches as we continue to transform the AAC into a bold collegiate conference enterprise that promotes world-class academic and athletic opportunities for our student-athletes through innovative resources, brand partnerships and emerging opportunities. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and, alongside our conference community, get to work.”

Pernetti will be his tenure in June, according to a release.

Among the places he’s worked include serving “as president of IMG Academy, executive vice president of the global sports and entertainment company, Endeavor, president of IMG College and executive vice president, content, CBS College Sports.”

READ: Nevada hires Kansas analyst Matt Lubick as OC

Pernetti “oversaw a $100M capital expansion of IMG Academy” and “was part of the executive team that sold IMG Academy for $1.25B to EQT in 2023,” according to a release.

”Tim Pernetti is the ideal leader to guide the American Athletic Conference through this pivotal time in college athletics,” Chancellor of East Carolina University Philp Rogers stated in a release. “His perspective as a successful student-athlete, a respected and progressive director of athletics, and his demonstrated leadership, innovation, competitive spirit, and business acumen across a number of professional organizations make him uniquely suited to build on the success of Mike Aresco and steer the conference to a bright future.”

Pernetti also has experience as the director of intercollegiate athletics at Rutgers from 2009-13. He’s a Scarlet Knights alum who played on the football team.

At CBS College Sports from 2006-09, Pernetti was executive vice president, content, and senior vice president, programming and talent, for CSTV from 2003-06, according to a release.

READ: Malik Nabers showcases ‘dog mentality’ at LSU’s Pro Day

He has also been involved in Major League Soccer. Pernetti was chief business officer for the New York City Football Club which launched in 2015.

Pernetti also spent five years at Endeavor “where he oversaw North American business development and growth management in sports, music, events, arts and exhibitions.”

“I have known Tim for a long time, and he is a superb choice to lead this conference,” Aresco stated in a release. “He has all the qualities and skills to advance the goals of the conference and take it to greater heights. I applaud the search committee, led by Philip Rogers, for its thoroughness and ability to deliver an outstanding new commissioner. I could not be more pleased for Tim and for the conference and look forward to making the transition as seamless as possible.”

The post American Athletic Conference tabs Tim Pernetti as new commissioner appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Aresco has served as the first and only president of the AAC in the conference’s 11-year history.

“It has been the supreme privilege of my long career in sports to have had the opportunity to lead this great conference from its reinvention in 2013, and to represent its outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators,” Aresco stated in a release. “I am grateful to the Board of Directors for giving me this opportunity to serve. It would take many pages to list this conference’s numerous athletic and academic accomplishments. There have also been some disappointments and difficulties along the way, most notably, the P5-G5 divide, realignment, College Football Playoff access for our deserving teams, and some competitive heartbreak in big games. But these have not affected in any way my enthusiasm in leading this terrific and resilient conference or my optimism for its long-term future. I would like to thank everyone associated with this conference for their significant contributions, and also my friends and colleagues in the college community, for their goodwill and concern for the greater good of the collegiate enterprise.”

READ: Big Board: Post-conference championship week

Aresco oversaw the reformation of the Big East Conference into the AAC in the early 2010s. He also helped the AAC secure two media rights agreements, one in 2014 and another in 2019, that serve as milestone moments for the conference.

Aresco also served on a number of College Football Playoff committees focusing on strategic planning, television, site selection and most recently a committee to select the next CFP executive director.

READ: Wyoming’s Craig Bohl announces retirement; Jay Sawvel named new head coach

Aresco has overseen the recent rounds of conference realignment which impacted the moves for UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12 Conference and Southern Methodist to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“Mike Aresco has been a strong, steady, and innovative commissioner for the American Athletic Conference since its inception,” East Carolina University Chancellor and Chair of The American’s Board of Directors Philip Rogers stated in a release. “We are all grateful for his distinguished service to the conference. There is no question that he will leave the AAC well-positioned for future success due to his strategic approach to navigating the complex landscape of intercollegiate athletics. More importantly, though, he led with deep character and integrity and we will miss him dearly in this role. My colleagues and I wish Mike and his family the very best in this new phase of life.”

The post American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco announces retirement appeared first on Saturday Glory.

After nearly three-plus weeks of discussions and possibilities, SMU officially announced its plan to join the ACC beginning July 1, 2024, on Friday. It will join the ACC along with former Pac-12 Conference members Cal and Stanford. 

“We have known that today’s move was a possibility, which has allowed us time to investigate a number of options, including consideration of the larger group of institutions in the Pacific time zone,” Aresco stated in a release. “We have concluded, however, that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward.” 

Given the AAC will no longer pursue westward expansion, it will instead “focus any expansion efforts on schools that allow for sensible and sustainable competition and student-athlete well-being within our strong geographic footprint,” according to a release. 

“SMU has shared our pursuit of competition at the highest level throughout its time in the American Athletic Conference,” Aresco stated in a release. “President Gerald Turner and Athletic Director Rick Hart have been among our strongest advocates and leaders both internally and externally. We wish them well.” 

The post AAC releases statement, concludes it will ‘not look westward’ amid conference realignment  appeared first on Saturday Glory.