Sources: Eastern Kentucky's Barnett heading to Louisiana Tech

Veteran football operations director John Barnett is returning to the Football Bowls Subdivision level of college football.

Sources tell FootballScoop that Barnett is leaving his post at Eastern Kentucky to join the football operations staff at Louisiana Tech for head coach Skip Holtz.

Barnett had spent the past four years at EKU, transitioning with the program from former coach Mark Elder into the rebuilding work being done by Walt Wells.

For Barnett, it's a return to the region where he's worked a majority of his football career. Barnett had a six-year run at Southern Miss.

While starting out as a video assistant for the Golden Eagles' football program, Barnett eventually ascended to the assistant director of football operations post and then spent his final year in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as the lead director.

Following that time, he transitioned briefly to Kansas in an assistant role before he left the Jayhawks' program after a few months to take over operations at FCS resident Eastern Kentucky.

A Virginia Tech graduate, Barnett is credited with helping the Colonels land top-20 recruiting classes in both 2019 and 2020 after assuming recruiting operations duties for EKU in 2018.

Eastern Kentucky is expected to immediately begin a search for Barnett's replacement in the Colonels' program.

EKU just wrapped up spring practice, after it played a daunting fall schedule under Wells, and is slated to open its 2021 campaign Sept. 4 at Western Carolina.

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest news and notes in football.