Auburn Targeting Mississippi State AD John Cohen, per Sources

The Tigers may soon steal away one of their rivals’ top administrators.

Auburn is targeting Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen for the same role, sources tell Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. 

ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news on Saturday afternoon. No deal is finalized, but it’s possible that the move could take place soon, per Dellenger. 

The potential in-conference move comes as Cohen is in the middle of his seventh season at Mississippi State. He was previously Mississippi State’s baseball coach from 2009 to ’16 and has spent time as a coach at both Florida and Kentucky, making him well-traveled around the SEC. 

He took over the athletic director job from Scott Stricklin in 2016 and has held the role ever since.

Cohen would become the latest SEC AD to move within the league: Ross Bjork (Ole Miss to A&M), Scott Woodward (A&M to LSU) and Scott Stricklin (Mississippi State to Florida).

No one loves the SEC more than the SEC.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 29, 2022

Cohen would replace Allen Greene, who negotiated his departure from Auburn in August with his contract set to expire in the coming months. As soon as he arrives, he’ll be tasked with addressing the future of football coach Bryan Harsin, who has spent most of the season on the hot seat after a tumultuous start to his time with the program.

The Tigers were 3–4 heading into Saturday’s matchup against Arkansas. 

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