Tag: USC Athletic Director

REPORT: Jennifer Cohen to leave Washington and become USC’s new athletic director

Imagine writing this sentence in 2021: “The AD at Washington left to join USC, moving from one Big Ten school to another.”

USC has reportedly found its new athletic director to replace Mike Bohn.

The Trojans went to another Big Ten school for their hire: the University of Washington.

It’s a reality none of us ever could have imagined a few years ago, but it’s real. The Seattle Times and multiple other news outlets are reporting that Washington Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen will leave Montlake and move to Los Angeles to become USC’s new athletic director.

The move contains a few obvious components which make sense. First, Cohen was already preparing for Washington’s transition to the Big Ten Conference. Taking the USC job means she won’t be behind on the logistical components of the move. She has already been discussing them, but in a Washington-specific context. She can now take on those challenges from a position of responsibility at another school which is moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.

The other reason this is a natural fit for USC is that Cohen will be able to speak up for USC in Big Ten circles, making sure Trojan athletes in various sports get reasonable travel accommodations. Cohen was preparing to do this on behalf of Washington Husky athletes; now she’ll do this for the Trojans.

This move will also ensure that USC and Washington and the other Pac-12 schools moving to the Big Ten play each other as much as possible to limit long-distance travel.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

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USC and Ohio State might be competing for the same athletic director

#USC hasn’t yet hired a new AD. #OhioState AD Gene Smith is retiring. One man could be both schools’ top choice. #B1G

Say, remember the USC athletic director position?

You know, the one that isn’t filled as the college football season approaches? USC has been without a permanent athletic director for months since Mike Bohn stepped down.

The Trojans clearly believe they can take their time on this hire. USC President Carol Folt brought in a team of highly experienced college sports administrators to consider candidates in a thorough and meticulous process. The Trojans are not in any rush.

However, maybe they now need to act more quickly. News broke this week that TCU’s Jeremiah Donati, who has presided over explosive growth and tremendous results at the school, will not pursue the USC job opening. That’s one athletic director candidate off the list. However, the Ohio State athletic director job just came open when it was announced longtime AD Gene Smith will retire in 2024.

Washington State athletic director Pat Chun, who recently hammered the Pac-12 Conference for its failed leadership and overall mismanagement, used to work under Gene Smith. Some Ohio State insiders think he would be the best, most natural replacement for Smith in Columbus. With USC entering the Big Ten, Chun’s work under Gene Smith makes him a very attractive candidate.

Are we seeing a situation in which USC and Ohio State have the same No. 1 choice, especially with Donati of TCU out of the running?

Ohio State is probably the favorite to land Chun as its next athletic director, but if USC wants to make a run at Chun, the time is now.

Let’s look at reactions to Donati’s decision, to the notes made by journalists who are covering these AD stories and to Ohio State fans’ views of Pat Chun:

USC athletic director search: in-house employee Ed Stewart has a strong case

Don’t know anything about #USC senior associate AD Ed Stewart? Learn about his career and what he could bring to the table.

USC could go outside the Trojan family for its next athletic director, but there are several very attractive in-house candidates or, if not that, candidates who have previously worked at USC who would not require a significant education process in transitioning to the athletic director job. They would instantly know what to do and how to do it. They would know exactly what to expect.

We joined the Trojan Conquest Live show on Sunday night at 8 p.m. Eastern. The link is at YouTube, but we are already rolling out the list of candidates revealed on that broadcast with help from college sports consultant Tony Altimore. You can check out the various categories of candidates, such as the six people USC must first give a phone call to, but the in-house candidates require and deserve special attention.

In this article, we’ll look at one of those candidates, Ed Stewart, who is the executive senior associate athletic director for football administration. If you aren’t familiar with him, consider this a basic primer on what he would bring to the table if chosen as the new AD (and possibly as the interim or acting AD, though USC President Carol Folt had not appointed an acting AD as of 10 a.m. on Monday, May 22):