USC President Carol Folt finds herself “less than a year away from the Trojans’ move to the Big Ten” and “just days from USC football’s opener” as the search for a new AD continues, according to McCullough & Kartje of the L.A. TIMES. Sources said that USC has vetted three candidates for the opening: Minnesota AD Mark Coyle, Florida State Univ. AD Michael Alford and FAU AD Brian White. McCullough and Kartje noted this “isn’t a complete list of USC candidates,” but rather AD’s whose “ties to the Trojans’ search have been confirmed by multiple sources.” When the position opened there “was a question as to whether Folt would use a search firm again.” But USC decided to interview firms and hired Parker Executive Search to assist in the process. Many around USC were “hopeful” that Folt would consider former AD Mike Bohn’s Chief of Staff Brandon Sosna, who “led the search that landed [football coach Lincoln] Riley and helped Bohn execute the Big Ten move before leaving for a post with the Detroit Lions.” McCollough and Kartje noted “there would be support” for Sosna within the department, but it is “unclear at this point if he is a candidate.” A source also said that Parker “inquired about the interest” of Villanova AD Mark Jackson, who was previously a Senior Associate AD at USC. UCLA AD Martin Jarmond said that he “hasn’t interviewed anywhere” (L.A. TIMES, 8/20).
BLOWIN' IN THE SEMINOLE WIND: Florida State's Alford yesterday said that he is "not a candidate" for the job. He wrote in a text, "I am not now, nor have I been, a candidate for the position at USC. Nor do I have any interest in any role other than my current position at Florida State" (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 8/21).
