What Will Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen Achieve Next?

Fresh off a contract extension, what will Auburn's athletic director accomplish?

Auburn Tigers football coach Hugh Freeze and athletic director John Cohen / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn's athletic department is seeing an upswing and to the victors go the spoils.

Athletic director John Cohen is receiving a two-year contract extension, per the Montgomery Adviser and other media outlets. From the Adisor, here are the important contract dates and terms to know.

"Cohen's agreement with Auburn, which began in November 2022, was originally set to run through October 2027. The extension now dictates his contract will run through October 2029. The addendum to Cohen's contract was signed by himself and Auburn University president Chris Roberts on May 2."

Considering Auburn is now gearing up to be a top SEC football program again and Cohen is a part of hiring Hugh Freeze, that's a tremendous start under his leadership. Auburn also has its best men's basketball program in decades, and the Tigers are set to begin a Nike sponsorship that will be helpful for the entire athletic department.

So, what could Cohen do next to help the Tigers be an even better?

With the ever-changing NIL landscape, helping Auburn stay toward the top of the market is one thing. It sounds boring but it's imperative that it goes well, and that's fundraising. No way around it, big money coming from Auburn boosters equals NIL success more often than not.

One could argue that NIL is truly the biggest factor an athletic director could be dealing with. There's also another area that is often brought up along with NIL.

That's the Transfer Portal. Auburn football, for one, is doing a tremendous job of bringing in top transfers. Cohen and the athletic department staff deserve at least partial credit for that happening. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to help Auburn's football roster improve. Also, it's the hiring process.

Coaches are certainly prime hires but it goes far further than the people calling plays and running practices. It's the back office. Recruiting hires, people in charge of transporting Auburn's student-athletes to events around the United States and beyond, and of course the right academic advisors and tutors for Auburn athletes to thrive.

Cohen is deserving of his contract extension and he still has prime tasks ahead. Auburn is fortunate to have him working on the Plains.