Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour announced the hiring of Scott Sidwell as the new external deputy athletic director.

Sidwell was the University of San Francisco’s athletic director since June 2011. He’ll fill the position of deputy athletic director left vacant by Phil Esten, who left Penn State to become the athletic director of St. Thomas in November 2018.

“We are elated to have Scott joining our team,” Barbour said in a release. “Scott brings an outstanding depth and breadth of experience to Penn State, including significant success in marketing, development and facilities initiatives. He has a high level of experience with the external functions of a comprehensive athletic department and will be a great fit for Penn State and our team.”

In his new role, Sidwell will be the day-to-day sport administrator for the football program. He’ll also direct the leaders of Penn State’s marketing, strategic communications, facilities operations, development, and event management departments and oversee all external units and functions.

Sidwell played a key role in helping San Francisco raise more than $40 million in the past seven years. He helped secure a $15 million donation for the university’s first-ever facilities master plan, which includes renovations to its basketball arena. USF’s men’s basketball program currently has an 18-6 record and is poised to win 20 games for the third consecutive season.

Before taking over as USF’s athletic director, Sidwell was an executive senior associate AD and associate AD for development at Syracuse. He led all external athletic operations and helped raise more than $106 million in nearly six years with the Orange.