USC Officially Hires Mike Bohn As Athletic Director

USC officially has its new athletic director. Mike Bohn will be introduced at a press conference Thursday at 10 a.m.

USC officially has its new athletic director.

Mike Bohn, the Trojans’ first AD in 25 years without previous ties to the university, will be introduced at a press conference Thursday at 10 a.m. The school confirmed Wednesday evening that it had filled the vacancy left from Lynn Swann's resignation in early September. 

Bohn arrives with 22 years of experience as an AD, including the past six at Cincinnati. He held the same post at Colorado (2005-13), San Diego State (2003-05) and Idaho (1998-2003). He hired three football coaches while at Colorado -- Mike MacIntyre (30-44), who won a Pac-12 South Division title, Jon Embree (4-21) and Dan Hawkins (16-33).

Bohn’s most recent hire, Luke Fickell, who he nabbed from Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State, has led Cincinnati to a 7-1 mark this year and 22-11 overall.

USC's coach in 2020 will be the most pressing issue for its new leader. Bohn could be weighing an immediate decision on Clay Helton, as several disgruntled boosters have called for the fourth-year coach to be dismissed this weekend if USC loses at Arizona State. The same contingent has also made it clear it will provide the funds to make a lucrative offer for Meyer. 

Bohn initially reached an agreement with USC last Thursday. Sources told SI that Bohn didn't sign off with USC sooner because he and the university first had to resolve the parameters within which he could pursue Meyer.

The 58-year-old Bohn will be USC's fourth athletic director in the past decade. His hire breaks a streak of three consecutive alums -- Mike Garrett, Pat Haden, Lynn Swann -- without previous administrative experience to serve as AD for USC. Bohn becomes only the second AD to not have a prior connection to the school (Mike McGee, 1984-93). 

The longtime AD has been in athletics administration since 1984, after earning a master's degree from Ohio University. He earned his bachelor's from Kansas, where he played football and baseball.

-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.