Notes and quotes as Jennifer Cohen is introduced as USC’s new Athletic Director

USC president Carol L. Folt announced Jennifer Cohen as USC’s 10th Director of Athletics on Monday. The former Washington athletic director arrives as a well-respected, winning choice by Folt and the Trojans. She spent seven years as the athletic director at Washington and now returns home to her native Southern California area with a sizeable to-do list awaiting her at USC.

Cohen is now charged with shepherding the Trojans into the Big Ten while overseeing an athletics program that should be synonymous with national championships and run with Folt’s athletics moonshot that includes massive facilities upgrades.

Here are a few things said during the introductory press conference by both Folt and Cohen that caught our attention.

What USC Looked For in an Athletic Director

In her introductory statement, Folt listed what she and the search committee looked for in the right candidate.

“We wanted a leader with great integrity, above reproach,” Folt said. “Someone that would maintain our student-centric focus and our academic excellence — winning the right way. A fierce competitor. And of course, there were other considerations. Our Director of Athletics would also need to be fully invested in making our athletics vision and our athletics moonshot a reality as we continue to build the best athletics department in the country with world-class facilities and innovative space planning that will benefit all of our teams and broaden our community while also prioritizing gender equity in support of Title Nine.”

Folt added that the Big Ten move necessitated a leader who could work seamlessly with that conference and leadership at those school.

Folt said she received hundreds of resumes and recommendations. USC hired Parker Executive Search to help run the process. And at the end of it all, she said there was “one clear candidate who stood out from the rest, who met our criteria, who energized all of us with a passion and a determination to go above and beyond.”

Cohen Brings the Best of Both Worlds

There are several different hats a good athletic director needs to wear. It’s clear from what Folt said that maintaining that “student-athlete first” mentality at USC was a priority. Folt praised Cohen’s ability to connect with people and is “an empathetic leader.” But that’s not going to be everything that wins games at USC, and Folt said Cohen’s competitive nature was a big draw.

“While she is known for that deep compassion, she’s equally regarded as a fierce competitor,” Folt said. “And we demand someone who wants to win in every sport and wants to do it the right way.”

When Cohen took the stage, she said people ask her why she does what she does. Her answer started off with that same word.

“My answer is pretty simple,” she said. “I love to compete. I love to be part of the community. And I absolutely love developing people — coaches, student-athletes, staff, ourselves. That’s kind of my why.”

Why USC for Cohen?

Cohen is a huge fan of the Washington Huskies and said UW will always have a special place in her heart (except for when they’re playing the Trojans). But she echoed some of what head football coach Lincoln Riley said when he left Oklahoma to take the USC job.

“There’s probably nowhere else in America that we can develop into our best selves, more so than USC,” Cohen said. “It’s a special place. It’s a special time…We have excellent coaches, elite student-athletes, world-class faculty. The letter-winners, the donor support, and in a world-class region and city. It’s just a very, very unique place.”

Between the No. 6 football team, the announcement of the impending athletic facilities, another national championship for beach volleyball, a Crosstown Cup win over UCLA and 13 teams finishing their seasons in the top-25 of their respective sports, USC athletics is in a pretty good spot overall with Cohen taking over.

“When you have this kind of momentum like we have here, there is no rest,” Cohen said. “We’ve got to put our foot on the gas and we’ve got to accelerate so we continue to elevate.”

Setting a High Bar

Cohen takes over as the director of 21 different sports at USC. Football is obviously king at USC, but both Folt and Cohen made it clear that the other 20 sports will receive plenty of attention.

“Very few schools can say what we can say with confidence, which is we can win a national championship in all 21 of our sports,” Cohen said.”

California Dreamin’

Cohen called this not just an opportunity of a lifetime to lead the USC athletic department but a “responsibility of a lifetime.”

“I will lead with integrity and with character and with heart,” Cohen said. “And I will lead with passion in a way that would be embarrassing sometimes on the sidelines. So everybody, I’m preparing you for that> I get a little fired up during games and all competitions.”

But landing this job at USC means plenty to Cohen, who is an Arcadia native, and her family.

“I’ve always loved coming back to California, and any and all trips that I can make to get back here because it always had that feeling of home for me,” Cohen said. “I think that’s why I took a moment on the stage to begin just because this is where my family’s roots are. You know, my parents, like that’s something really emotional to me. Both my parents are still alive and this really hit them in a big way that I was able to lead an iconic brand and a school that we were so familiar with. So I love LA. I love California. I have no idea where I’m gonna live. So if anybody has any ideas, let me know. But it means it means everything to me and it’s just a real honor.”

Other Notes

* Cohen was announced on Monday and her first official day of work as USC’s athletic director starts Tuesday.

* Cohen said the Big Ten is actively working on new schedules for 2024 and 2025 with the arrival of Oregon and Washington to the conference. But there is no update on those yet. Cohen said she does anticipate some clarity on those soon, however.

The post Notes and quotes as Jennifer Cohen is introduced as USC’s new Athletic Director appeared first on On3.