Auburn Reportedly Hiring Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen
Mississippi State Director of Athletics John Cohen has reportedly been hired by Auburn University and is expected to officially join the staff soon.
Sources confirmed the hiring of Cohen to WCBI Sports Director Jon Sokoloff. Details surrounding the deal have not been announced at this time.
If the deal goes through, Cohen will now begin his transition to the fellow SEC West school and look to find success with the Tigers, likely starting his tenure by solving issues surrounding their struggling football program.
Cohen served as Mississippi State's AD beginning in late 2016 and is a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee. Since his time in the position began, five teams have posted program-best seasons: baseball, softball, women's basketball, volleyball and women's soccer.
The former Mississippi State baseball player and coach hired 14 new coaches during his tenure. Cohen brought in eventual national champion coach Chris Lemonis, football coach and well-known personality Mike Leach, men's basketball coach Chris Jans and women's basketball coach Sam Purcell, among others.
As the head coach of the Diamond Dawgs, Cohen posted a 284-203-1 record and had five postseason appearances during his eight seasons with the program. The team finished as the College World Series runner-up to UCLA in 2013.
Auburn and Mississippi State will meet sooner rather than later, as the two programs will face off on the gridiron on Nov. 5. Cohen will likely be with the Tigers by that time, or at least nearing the end of his transition.
*Updated: no deal has been finalized between Cohen and Auburn as sources close to MSU say the "deal isn't done yet"*
