USC athletic director Mike Bohn and chief of staff Brandon Sosna held a joint press conference after Thursday’s football practice that covered a variety of topics.
Bohn started by detailing what he believes are USC’s aspirations for the 2021 football season. Bohn did not shy away from giving the team a high mark to shoot for.
“Our expectations are what they’ve always been,” he said. “We want to be in the Rose Bowl and to be a part of that College Football Playoff.”
USC has never been selected to participate in the College Football Playoff throughout the tournament’s seven-season history and the Trojans have only played in the Rose Bowl once in the past 12 seasons. Clearly, Bohn’s expectations far exceed the team’s recent success, but the Trojans’ No. 15 ranking in the 2021 Preseason AP Poll is an encouraging sign for USC.
Bohn also answered questions about new Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff. Even though college football is dealing with potential conference realignment, Bohn appeared confident in what Kliavkoff can bring to the table to steer the conference in the right direction.
“I am extremely encouraged and inspired by George and how he has inspired and uplifted everybody from CEOs to ADs to coaches in our league,” Bohn said. “I believe our future is bright.”
Bohn was especially impressed by the commissioner’s decision to make USC his first destination on his tour of the Pac-12 campuses. Just two days after Pac-12 Media Day, Kliavkoff was already on University Park Campus and asking USC faculty what he can do to best move the conference forward.
Bohn was asked about whether the 2021 season is a make-or-break year for head coach Clay Helton, a question weighing heavily on the mind of many Trojan fans. Helton’s contract lasts through the 2023 season and his buyout, though undisclosed, is estimated to be around $10 million.
Bohn rejected the notion that Helton’s future with USC will be determined strictly based on the team’s performance this season.
“Our trajectory is strong, so I don’t think that’s accurate,” Bohn said. “We know the championship expectations. We’re competitive. That’s why we’re here and that’s why we continue to make the improvements that we continue to make.”
Later, Sosna fielded questions about USC’s success regarding the new name, image and likeness policy enacted by the NCAA. Sosna emphasized the support given to the student-athletes by the athletic department and the grandiose offers given to some of the football team’s star players.
In July, junior quarterback Kedon Slovis signed with Klutch Sports, the same agency representing NBA stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The agency assisted Slovis in inking a deal with United Airlines to advertise the company’s new direct flight between Los Angeles and South Bend, Ind.
“It’s not for me to say, but a lot of our guys have done really well,” Sosna said. “If you notice some of the agencies that they are aligning with, they are some of the most reputable agencies in the country. I think if you polled the athletic program at USC, every single person would know that we are student-athlete centered.”
Despite the success of Trojan student-athletes in obtaining strong NIL deals, Sosna admitted that USC does not have all of the answers concerning the NIL landscape. The athletic department is navigating the NIL waters with little more clarity than the student-athletes have, but Sosna suggested that over time, the preferred strategy for helping student-athletes find the best NIL contracts will reveal itself.
“We’re going to need years of studying it and sample sizes and data to know how to best leverage it and how to best educate our athletes and, frankly, what kinds of opportunities they can best take advantage of,” Sosna said. “We don’t know yet if that’s autograph signings and appearances or if that’s social media ... I saw a study that said 88% of NIL activity so far is social media-driven.”
Since his hiring in December 2019 — Bohn’s first hire as athletic director — Sosna has played an integral role in reshaping the department’s infrastructure and adding to department staff, also serving as essentially the point person for internal matters within the football program. Sosna was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Sports” list in 2020 and previously worked in a front office role with the Cleveland Browns.
Yahoo! Sports reported on Aug. 13 that Sosna had recently met with Detroit Lions officials to discuss a front office role. Sosna wouldn’t comment Thursday on the nature of those talks, but he said that outside interest in USC’s athletic department staff (well beyond just himself) is a sign of a healthy, well-respected program and that it “would take something pretty significant” to pry him away from USC.
“We take a lot of pride in the fact that when, whether it’s administratively or from a coaching perspective, that when people are looking for talented members to add to their team, they look to us,” Sosna said. “We have a lot of work left to do. I’m excited to continue to do my part. It’s a personal mission for us to deliver the championship program that Trojan fans have come to expect.”