Pernetti named AAC’S second commissioner, replacing Aresco
The American Athletic Conference has its next commissioner.
IMG Academy president Tim Pernetti was named commissioner on Wednesday, the conference announced. He’ll replace Mike Aresco, who will retire in June. Pernetti will be only the second commissioner in AAC history after Aresco, who has served in the role since the conference’s inception.
Memphis has been a member of the AAC since 2013, but university officials have not been shy about their attempts to get out of the AAC and into a power conference. That’ll be one of many issues for Pernetti to deal with when he takes over for Aresco later this year.
“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 said in a press release.
Pernetti is the former athletic director at Rutgers and also spent five years at sports and entertainment company Endeavor.
He’ll have a major role to play as the commissioner of the AAC in the everchanging landscape of college sports. The Group of Five will be guaranteed a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff, and the AAC champion is likely to have pole position for that spot.
The AAC has undergone significant changes in recent years, losing Houston, UCF and Cincinnati to the Big 12 and replacing them with Rice, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Charlotte, UAB and UTSA.