5 Burning Questions: Who Is Mike Bohn And What Does His Hire Mean For USC?
A free-flowing weekly conversation on USC football with Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth regarding prospective athletic director Mike Bohn, how it affects Clay Helton, a potential move for Urban Meyer, and a prediction for Saturday's game versus Oregon.
Adam Maya (1): It’s been widely reported, by myself included, that Cincinnati’s Mike Bohn will be USC’s next athletic director. From your experience with him, what qualities stand out to you?
Yogi Roth: I think No. 1, dramatically personable. He's going to be able to talk to anybody in any situation, and be willing. Whether that's the donors, or the first-time fan or the 10- year-old wearing the Matt Leinart jersey in the stands or at the basketball game, he'll be able to relate to anybody. That's an incredible quality of his. I think when you look at, you know, Lynn Swann specifically, he’s a Hall of Famer. People not only wanted to talk to him, probably wanted to get his autograph the majority of the last 30 years of his life, so Bohn’s personality traits are totally different than the man that he's replacing. I think he's going to bring a bunch of fresh air. He's going to bring a ton of experience. You look at the places he's been, he'll kind of remind you a little bit of a coach that’s been in a couple places. There's not a lot he probably hasn't experienced.
I was there during the time of Colorado, they had good times in football, they had bad times in football. He hired a guy to lead them to the Pac-12 South title, and he had to make a really tough decision about a former player there (Jon Embree). I remember that press conference like it was yesterday, the emotion that he had, I remember that about him, he being a very passionate guy. And I think for USC, that's a really good thing. The last three ADs were elite players at the school. They were at the pinnacle of the craft in college football -- Heisman Trophy winner, Rhodes scholar and team captain, and then of course a Hall of Famer. I think now they’re bringing in somebody who will see the beauty of ‘SC through a different lens because he hasn't literally put the uniform on there in football. Obviously much different than his predecessors. And then you look at the administrative experience, and his resume speaks for itself when you're comparing and contrasting him to them.
Maya (2): The football coaching situation is something he’ll obviously have to address. We’ll get to that in a minute. But aside from football, what do you feel like are the biggest priorities for him to address at USC?
Roth: I think the biggest thing is, and we’ve talked about this a little bit of the history of athletic directors -- about a decade ago it was hot to hire somebody out of the business world and it's kind of been muddied ever since -- I think the pendulum has shifted back and forth with some of the top programs. You can look at Texas and some of the best places have hired a ADs that are high revenue generating athletic departments, you need somebody who understands athletic departments and all the sports that go into that, and all the pieces that go into that. From recruiting, of course, compliance, academics, alumni. There's no recipe for experience.
For ‘SC, his experience is tenfold of the other guys in this arena. I just think it's one where you need experience in this arena because you need to have a shortlist of soccer coaches and lacrosse coaches and water polo coaches and assistant basketball coaches. You just have to know the, you have to have gone to the seminars and you just have to be in it. This is a guy that’s lived it. He’s seen a smaller budgeted athletic department. Now he’s walking into the biggest one clearly in his history.
Maya (3): How you spoke of the former AD, it brings to mind Phil Jackson as the president of the Knicks. So I want to get your take on this: My personal feeling is that Clay Helton has to win out, that there’s no margin for error. Even if he won the division, with another loss, I think they'll add up his record over the last two seasons and make a change. Where do you think he stands now with a new AD?
Roth: I feel strongly about this. I think whenever you take over a department, whether it's a business, a massive corporation, an institution, usually the first quarter, call it three months, you get to evaluate it and see what it’s about. It's not like the incoming athletic director has been here before and is just climbing through the ranks and is just getting elevated. So I think there's a huge part of him evaluating the whole department. I’m sure that was part of the interview process, and I'm sure he's done his homework in terms of getting the job.
But in the same vein, he's had a job and he's had to run an athletic department. So whenever this individual begins his tenure, I think it would be foolish to come in right off the bat and start making changes. I think the smartest thing and the best leaders in any culture is to come in and listen. When you look at the USC football program, what we got to witness since Clay Helton got hired was a first-time head coach evolve through the coaching profession, and I think this year is Clay Helton 2.0 and his best coaching job. With three quarterbacks playing, a litany of injuries on the defensive side of the football and a brand new scheme, to me it’s Clay Helton’s best coaching job.
Maya: I think people might agree with you if they beat Oregon.
Roth: And that speaks to my point of your question of the last month of the season. And especially this game. It can't to me come down to wins and losses, because if they lose on the last play of the game, or if somebody drops a pass late in the game. To me, the context is what I think every big-time leader takes into. So I think that's going to be the last month of the season, is the context of the wins and losses. Can they go winless? No. Can they win every game by a point and feel comfortable? Probably not either. I think context is everything, where the program is going and the trajectory of it. I think this team will be voted to win the Pac-12 championship next year. They're trending upwards and we'll see what happens. I’d say the Pac-12 South, will probably be picked to win the title with the amount of returns they have.
Maya: No, I think you were right the first time. I think USC is going to be predicted to win it. They're barely losing anybody, Michael Pittman, John Houston and Christian Rector are the lone seniors.
Roth: I think that there's something to that. We've seen examples of this before, not necessarily an AD change but of coaches resetting their philosophy and athletic departments giving them some time. Brian Kelly's the easy example in major college football of the guy who's given the year when everyone thought he wasn't going to have it. And then they went to the CFP. The next AD at USC, I would 1,000 percent bet my career on it, that they're going to come in and listen before making changes, because I have to trust that the president of the school talked to them about their approach to do it. And I don't think the football program specifically is in dire straits and is a disaster culturally, personnel-wise, scheme-wise. They made all those changes already. So I think it's irresponsible to say they have to be 4-0. I think it’s all in context. It would help, obviously. This weekend would be the biggest one.
This weekend is huge on a lot of levels. Every kid on the sidelines that’s a recruit is probably deciding between USC and Oregon and a few other final few schools. There's a lot at stake, but I just don't buy into, if you don't win this one game, I don't care if you're at Auburn and it's the Alabama game or Florida and it’s the Georgia game, if you just think like that, I don't agree with it. (Jim) Harbaugh, should he be gone if he doesn't beat Ohio State? Or Mike Leach and U-Dub? I think that's irresponsible. I get it, if it's a decade, you're john Cooper or whatever. I get when those scenarios happen, but my gut says that they're going to come in and evaluate it and the AD is going have to be really impressed. And he might be, I don't know, I don't know what he's going to value.
Maya: Yeah, no one knows that yet. My hunch is that he’s a hired gun at this particular time and is being brought in to change coaches. That just seems to be the temperature right now. They could go 3-1 and win this division if Utah loses to Washington, which is very possible. And then it get kind of weird if they're playing in the Pac-12 title game and qualify for the Rose Bowl. Are you going to move on a coach there?
Roth: You can’t. If they win the Pac-12 South and then you have a bye week and then you play for the title, how do you make a move then? Even if you lose, you only have one week for official visits. I would imagine a decision would be made after the final regular season game.
Maya (4): That’s why I think this game especially but all these games are elimination games. If they do ultimately decide to make a change, how much do you think the Bohn hire has to do with bringing in Urban Meyer?
Roth: I think the coaches and ADs all across the country are one degree away from each other. The fact that a coach knows an AD makes it more comfortable. But we're talking about a coach like Urban Meyer, the guy is a first ballot College Football Hall of Famer. This is not like Jimbo Fisher going to Texas A&M with Scott Woodward. I think that it has everything to do with the USC athletic department. I think every AD in the country, if they have an opening, would want one of the greatest coaches in college football. But I don’t think so, to hire an AD just to make one hire, especially with where ‘SC is now.
Maya (5): It’s not the only reason. But I don't think it's a coincidence that there's a relationship. Finally, USC-Oregon could be a great game. What's your feeling on it, what do you expect to happen, what’s your prediction?
Roth: I think it's going to be high scoring game. I think this weekend in the Pac-12 is maybe the best weekend we've had all year, in terms of one-score games. I think it's going to be that. For every time we think about how Oregon will run the football, and they will be able to, ‘SC will have to move the football against this defense. To me, it’s all about if Oregon can steal a possession in each half. If I was calling it, I’d be tracking the play clock. I don’t think Oregon’s going to run the clock down, but I think Marcus Arroyo is really smart. I think he's probably the most underrated OC in a big-time place. How do you beat the Air Raid and how do you beat the gifted players that USC has? You keep them off the field. I think that's how this game is going to go.
I think USC’s players are going to come out and play their best game of the season. I think it's going to be SC-Utah on the offensive side, in terms of big plays down the field. But it won't look as backyard. I don't think it's going to be throw it up and say a prayer. I think they're going to have some more discipline in the offense. I think they will move the football, they should move the football. But the end of the day, I think Oregon's run game will be the difference in this ballgame, and I think Oregon wins by a score, wins by a late score. To me it's a one-score game, and I think it's classic Oregon-USC.
Maya: Can you give me a score?
Roth: Sure. Let’s go 41-35.
Maya: Wow, OK. I went 34-27 on the Troy Stories podcast.
-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.
-- Yogi Roth is a Pac-12 Networks college football analyst, award-winning filmmaker, scholar, New York Times best-selling author, coach, motivational speaker and world-traveler. Be sure to check out all his latest work.
