USC AD Jennifer Cohen discusses NIL as Trojans figure out long-term plans

Cohen’s public remarks matter a lot less than what she does behind the scenes.

The NIL realm is where USC has been absorbing a lot of hits in college football. Ohio State and Oregon, both Big Ten competitors, are cleaning up thanks to robust NIL efforts and a clear willingness to pay for top recruits and transfer portal prospects. The Buckeyes and Ducks are fully investing in their programs, and it is paying off in more ways than one.

USC is playing catch-up. The Trojans live in the Los Angeles market, the second-biggest metopolitan area in the United States. There is certainly ample accumulated wealth in the area. USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen is a prodigious fundraiser. She knows she needs to unlock the resources in Southern California in order to enable USC football to thrive. She recently went on The Peristyle podcast to discuss the NIL space and where USC stands within it.

Some fans might be alarmed and/or disappointed that Cohen painted a relatively positive picture of the NIL situation, but one should realize that Cohen is not going to publicly eviscerate the efforts being made by the people organizing USC’s main collectives. What matters is not what she says, but what she privately does behind the scenes to improve the success rate of the NIL operation. That’s what matters most. The next really big test of USC’s NIL strength will come in the spring transfer portal window, when USC will need a 2024 version of Bear Alexander, the 2023 spring portal pickup who improved the Trojans’ defensive line.

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