Auburn capped a whirlwind day within the athletics department with the official announcement of John Cohen as the program’s newest athletics director.
Cohen’s hire comes after Auburn fired head coach Bryan Harsin and several football staffers earlier in the day, and after Cohen himself resigned from his post as Mississippi State’s athletics director. AL.com reported Saturday that Auburn was working to finalize a deal to bring Cohen to the Plains. He becomes the 16th athletics director in Auburn history, succeeding Allen Greene, who resigned at the end of August before his five-year contract was set to expire in January.
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“I’m extremely grateful to President (Chris) Roberts for the opportunity to be the next director of athletics at Auburn University,” Cohen said in a release. “Auburn is an incredibly special place as is demonstrated by the hall of fame coaches and athletes that have been a part of its storied history. I understand the traditions and values at Auburn and look forward to continuing those traditions. I’m humbled and honored to be joining the Auburn family.”
Cohen will reportedly make $1.5 million annually on a five-year deal at Auburn, according to Sports Illustrated. Cohen previously agreed to a four-year extension at Mississippi State worth $1.1 million annually back in July. His salary to take over on the Plains represents a significant increase in investment by Auburn and president Dr. Chris Roberts. Greene only earned $625,000 a year over the course of his five-year contract after then-president Steven Leath hired him away from Buffalo.
Cohen spent the last six years as athletics director at Mississippi State, his alma mater. Prior to that, he spent 25 seasons as a college baseball coach, including eight years with the Bulldogs. He transitioned into administration in July 2016, spending four months as an associate AD at Mississippi State before being promoted to athletics director.
His hiring at Auburn ends a search that lasted two months, as Greene’s final day on the job was Aug. 31. In the 61 days since, Auburn’s athletics department was overseen by chief operating officer Marcy Girton, who served 12 days as acting athletics director, and executive associate athletics director Rich McGlynn, who spent the last five weeks in an interim role.
According to the release from Auburn, Cohen’s first move as Tigers’ athletics director was to elevate McGlynn to deputy athletics director, as the two will work together to further elevate the Auburn athletics department.
“John has a wealth of experience in college athletics, particularly in the Southeastern Conference and his resume and references are impeccable,” Roberts said in a release.. “His leadership and success as a head coach and an athletic director speak for themselves. John will embrace Auburn and be a tremendous leader for our athletics program as we move forward.”
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Cohen was named athletics director at Mississippi State on Nov. 4, 2016. During his tenure, he oversaw an athletics department that experienced record-breaking success athletically, academically and in facilities enhancements. That success was highlighted by a 2021 College World Series title for the Bulldogs, marking the first team national championship in any sport at Mississippi State.
Five Mississippi State programs turned in program-best seasons during Cohen’s time at the helm of the athletics department, including softball earlier this year, baseball during the CWS season, soccer in 2018 and women’s basketball in 2017 and 2018. He is one of three active SEC athletics director to hire an eventual-national championship winning head coach in any sport.
“John has won championships at the highest level both as a coach and as an administrator and knows how to win,” Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. “Given his experience as a Southeastern Conference athletics director and knowing he’s empowering Rich McGlynn, this is the best of both worlds. I’m excited about our new leadership team. It’s time for the Auburn family to come together as we move forward.”
Along with the blessing of Pearl, the most popular figure within Auburn athletics, Cohen received a stamp of approval from Auburn baseball coach Butch Thompson. That should come as no surprise; the two know each other well. Thompson served on Cohen’s baseball staff at Mississippi State from 2009-1015 before taking over as head coach on the Plains.
“John is one of the most impactful and intelligent people I’ve been around in my career,” Thompson said. “I’ve seen him lead firsthand, and we competed for a national championship together. He stepped up to the plate for me when it was time to become a head coach at Auburn. I am a better coach and a better man because of our time together and can’t wait serve him again. I look forward to Auburn people getting to know John.”
The top priority for Cohen will be finding Auburn’s next football coach. The program fired Harsin late Monday morning, less than two years into his six-year contract as head coach. Auburn was just 9-12 under Harsin, including a 3-5 mark this season. The team’s current four-game losing streak dropped it two games below .500 for the first time since 2012 and gave the Tigers a 3-10 record over the last calendar year.
During his time as Mississippi State’s athletics director, Cohen made two football coaching hires. He tabbed Joe Moorhead as head coach in 2018 to replace Dan Mullen following his departure for Florida. Two years later, he ended the experiment with Moorhead and brought in Mike Leach from Washington State. Leach is 16-16 overall in his third season with the Bulldogs, including 12-9 in the last two seasons.
“I have known and worked with John for the past 25 years in the Southland Conference and SEC and know him to be creative with strong vision,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I look forward to working with him in his new role and I wish John and Nelle the best.”
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
