The USC Trojans have reportedly made a move to bring in their next athletic director. Washington AD Jennifer Cohen is set to make the leap to the Big Ten – just not with the Huskies.
USC to Hire Jennifer Cohen as Next Athletic Director
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that Cohen will become the next athletic director at USC, following a three-month-long search after the resignation of Mike Bohn. The need for a new AD came amid rumors of a hostile and disorganized environment under Bohn that ended only with his abrupt resignation.
USC hired Bohn in 2019, prying him away from a five-year tenure at Cincinnati that laid the foundations for the Bearcats’ College Football Playoff appearance and step up to the Big 12.
Bohn guided the Trojans out of the shadow of the Varsity Blues admissions scandal, overseeing the hiring of Lincoln Riley and a 2021 Elite Eight appearance in basketball.
However, his departure gave them a chance to start over once again as the Trojans get set to paly their final season of Pac-12 play in 2023/24 before jumping to the Big Ten in 2024.
MORE: College Football Realignment in 2023/2024
Meanwhile, on Montlake, Cohen has been with Washington since 1999, becoming athletic director in 2016.
That year, the Huskies made their first College Football Playoff behind Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin. Washington has been ranked in at least one AP poll every season since despite three different coaches taking the helm.
Outside football, Cohen has also overseen one of the West Coast’s premier softball powers, including a national title series appearance in 2018.
Basketball stars Markelle Fults and Kelsey Plum became the first duo to be selected first overall in the NBA and WNBA drafts from the same school in the same year in 2017. Washington also has won nine national titles with Cohen in charge, mostly in rowing.
Cohen was also added to the College Football Playoff selection committee in March, a duty she will likely retain in her new role at USC.
