Southern California procured Mike Bohn as its new athletic chief on Thursday, parting from convention to give the program to a veteran university sports head without any connections to the school.
USC President Carol Folt reported the employing about two months after Lynn Swann suddenly surrendered. Folt took over in July, and Bohn is the most recent change on the structure of a separate program plagued by outrage and underperformance as of late.
“I will work tirelessly and relentlessly to make the Trojan Family proud,” Bohn said during their introductory news conference. “We are going to build the championship program that you deserve.”
The 58-year-old Bohn has gone through the previous five years as the athletic chief at the University of Cincinnati. He likewise has been the AD at Colorado, San Diego State and Idaho during a 35-year profession in organization that started at the Air Force Academy.
Bohn is USC’s first AD since 1993 who was not a previous USC football player with no related knowledge working in athletic organization. The Trojans’ previous three athletic executives — Mike Garrett, Pat Haden and Swann — all left with the office in strife.
“I believe I bring in a new perspective,” Bohn said. “Maybe something just a little bit different. But I want to make sure you understand I have tremendous respect for the traditions, the history, the success and what USC athletics stands for. As a competitor, that’s why I want to be here.”
USC was entangled in the across the board school confirmations outrage and the school b-ball defilement embarrassment as of late. The school’s clubby climate has been changed by the appearances of Folt and Bohn, and more change could be en route at the division’s most prominent program.
Bohn said they has not met troubled football trainer Clay Helton, whose group is 5-4 in his fourth full season in control. Helton has an agreement through 2023, yet is believed to be on a tough position after their Trojans completed last season with their first losing record since 2000, trailed by their average flow crusade.
Bohn declined to state whether an instructing change was a piece of their command in landing the position. Numerous USC graduated class have been clamoring for the school to make a run at three-time national champion mentor Urban Meyer, who left Ohio State in January in the wake of starting keep going season on regulatory leave for his treatment of spousal misuse claims against right hand mentor Zach Smith.
“We all understand the importance of football,” Bohn said. “It’s very similar to every institution that I’ve been a part of. We expect all of our programs to compete, and that’s one of the attractions of coming and working with Dr. Folt. It would be premature to be talking about coaches or any situation when I’ve just arrived and in the process of learning.”
Bohn contracted Luke Fickell, Meyer’s previous right hand, at Cincinnati in December 2016.
The USC football program has spent the previous decade neglecting to recover its 2000s accomplishment under Garrett and mentor Pete Carroll. Previous Carroll partners Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian were both terminated, while Helton has held tight any longer than nearly anybody expected when the profession collaborator mentor was elevated by Haden to supplant Sarkisian in 2015.
Helton has run a spotless program and reestablished decency to a school slammed by NCAA authorizations and trouble making under its past mentors. They even won a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 title during Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s two seasons as starter, yet Helton is 17-17 without Darnold in their lineup.
When asked what they anticipated from the football crew’s last three rounds of the flow standard season, Bohn stated: “I mentioned Fight On, but it’s also Fight On to Victory. I’m not trying to add any more pressure to (Helton) or our student-athletes, but we always want to finish strong.”
Bohn has a blended record of employing football trainers. They made three contracts at Colorado, yet Dan Hawkins and Jon Embree both battled, while Mike MacIntyre appreciated minor achievement that came after Bohn was terminated by the Buffaloes in 2013.
Yet, Bohn’s decision of Fickell at Cincinnati has been broadly applauded. Fickell’s Bearcats went 11-2 last season, and they are 7-1 this year.
USC likewise is toward the start of a significant season for men’s b-ball mentor Andy Enfield, who has won only one NCAA Tournament match-up in six seasons in control. The Trojans didn’t make the previous two competitions and have completed higher than fifth in the Pac-12 just once, however Enfield’s present group is stacked with ability.
Dave Roberts had been USC’s between time AD since Swann quit in September.
Bohn is an alum of the University of Kansas, where he played baseball.