USC has found its new Athletic Director.
The school is expected to announce the hiring of Washington DC’s Jennifer Cohen later Monday, a source told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dillinger. Cohen is set to replace Mike Boone, who abruptly stepped down from his position back in May.
USC said it is scheduled to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. for a “special announcement regarding USC athletics,” but did not provide details. ESPN first reported the news of Cohen’s impending hiring.
Cohen has been the athletic director at Washington since 2016, but has been with the University of Washington since 1998. She first joined the staff of the UW athletic department as the assistant director of development. She also worked as a fundraiser for both the university and the athletic department before working her way up to Director of Sports.
In addition, Cohen was recently named to the college football playoff selection committee.
In Washington, Cohen oversaw the transition of head football coach Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake, and also made the decision to fire Lake after only 13 games. From there, Cohen hired Kalen DeBoer from Fresno State and DeBoer quickly got the Huskies back on the winning track. UW went 4-8 in 2021 before going 11-2 in 2022, DeBoer’s first year on the job.
The news comes just weeks after Washington accepted an invitation to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. USC is also making the move for the Big Ten, starting in 2024.
