When it comes to USC and its athletic department, you never know what’s right around the corner.
Late last week, it was reported that USC has zeroed in on Cincinnati athletic director Mike Bohn as Lynn Swann’s replacement, with an official announcement potentially coming as soon as this weekend. Around the same time, another report had former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, for months connected to the Trojans, as being “undoubtedly” the university’s top choice if/when they replace Helton and they will do “whatever it takes to get him.”
The weekend came and went, though, with no Bohn announcement. Same with Monday. Tuesday morning, however, brought yet another development, with Scott Wolf of InsideUSC reporting that Bohn had agreed to take the job but is now having second thoughts.
And the reason behind the second thoughts, per Wolf, is directly related to Meyer.Sources indicated USC president Carol Folt informed Bohn he would not be able to hire Urban Meyer as the next football coach. That is considered a dealbreaker for Bohn, according to sources.
Bohn informed USC of his decision but sources said university officials are still talking to him so the situation could still go either way. Nothing is easy at USC any more.
Several athletic directors turned the job down because they were told Meyer was not an option, sources said. Bohn apparently was not informed until after he agreed to take the job.
Over the weekend, Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports reported that the fact USC passed on multiple AD candidates with deep ties to Meyer shows that the university’s administration, including Pres. Folt, is looking in another direction. Additionally, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, on the heels of a scathing takedown of Meyer, put the kibosh on the Urban-to-LA rumors as well.
Shortly after Wolf’s post started gaining some traction, it should be noted, Thamel indicated in a tweet that the process is still pointing toward Bohn taking the AD job at USC.
Sources: Mike Bohn's announcement as USC's new AD expected by the end of the week. Everything still on course.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 5, 2019
As for Bohn-Meyer connections that helped get us to this point? Bohn has been the AD at Cincinnati since February of 2014 while Meyer played his college football for the Bearcats (one year as a defensive back in 1984) and graduated from the university in 1986. Meyer’s youngest child, Nate, is also a scholarship baseball player for the Bearcats.
