College Football

USC athletic director Mike Bohn resigns after nearly four years with school

Published May. 19, 2023 5:40 p.m. ET

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Southern California athletic director Mike Bohn has resigned.

USC confirmed the 62-year-old Bohn’s resignation Friday, roughly 3 1/2 years after he succeeded Lynn Swann in the high-profile job.

The Trojans’ athletic department experienced a surge of success during Bohn’s tenure, which was headlined by USC’s lucrative decision to move to the Big Ten in 2024.

Bohn's time at USC will best be remembered for how he helped restore the Trojans' football team into a national powerhouse by luring renowned head coach Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma at the conclusion of the 2021 college football season.

The long-struggling USC football team made a dramatic one-year return to national title contention after the hiring of coach Riley last year, while the men’s basketball team has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Andy Enfield and recently signed two of the highest-rated recruits in program history in Isaiah Collier and Bronny James, son of LeBron James.

In a letter to alumni and the school, USC President Carol Folt briefly thanked Bohn for his service "during a time of rapid transformation and growth."

"Over the last four years, the USC athletics department has transformed into a national powerhouse," Folt wrote. "In our singular pursuit of excellence, I am committed to ensuring we have the right leadership in place to achieve our goals. As part of that commitment and as we prepare to move to the Big Ten, we conducted a thorough review of the athletics department, including its operations, culture, and strategy. Having built a strong foundation over the last few years, now is the time for new direction grounded in our values and in expertise needed to fulfill our aspirational vision for Trojan athletics."

Bohn mentioned "ongoing health challenges" in a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times about his resignation, but provided no clear reason for the surprising move.

He also alluded to the challenges of leading USC through the coronavirus pandemic in his statement.

"I will always be proud of leading the program out of the most tumultuous times in the history of the profession and at USC with a restored reputation and national milestone accomplishments," Bohn said. "As a former student-athlete myself, my purpose and identity are rooted in supporting young people as they pursue their athletic, academic, and personal goals. I have been fortunate to have had so many wonderful opportunities and met so many terrific people, and I depart wishing the very best to all with whom I worked and served. In moving on, it is important now that I focus on being present with my treasured family, addressing ongoing health challenges, and reflecting on how I can be impactful in the future."

Bohn is the former athletic director at Idaho, San Diego State, Colorado and Cincinnati. He left the Bearcats to take over a USC department that had struggled through years of scandal and NCAA sanctions while being led by a series of former USC football players with little experience in administration.

The veteran administrator largely appeared to get the Trojans back on a path to success. Along with significant progress for the football and men’s basketball teams, Bohn hired experienced coach Lindsay Gottlieb away from the Cleveland Cavaliers to lead the women’s basketball team, which posted a nine-win improvement and made the NCAA Tournament this spring in Gottlieb’s second season. USC's baseball team is also experiencing a bounce-back season under well-regarded new head coach Andy Stankiewicz, who Bohn lured from Grand Canyon University last year.

Bohn also told ESPN that the parting was "amicable" between himself and the school.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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