In the wake of Mike Bohn’s sudden departure as USC athletic director, the school is forming an interim leadership team comprised of one internal administrator as well as three external administrators, according to a letter addressed to the athletic department and obtained by ESPN.
USC president Carol Folt said in the Wednesday letter that Dr. Denise Kwok — the Trojans’ current executive senior associate AD for student-athlete development — will act as interim executive administrator.
Joining her will be three figures from outside the university in order to “ensure USC continues to function seamlessly during the transition and complete its preparation for joining the Big Ten Conference,” Folt wrote. Those three individuals are former Penn State and Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour, former Duke CFO and deputy of athletics Mitch Moser and former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg.
“This team brings depth, experience, and great expertise in championship-level Division I intercollegiate athletics, including NIL, recruiting and facilities management, operations, marketing, finance, and Big Ten conference processes and procedures,” Folt wrote. “They will augment the leadership and staff in our department and provide a broad national perspective on changes taking place nationally.”
Folt also said four internal individuals will comprise the transition team: incoming provost Andrew Guzman; senior VP and general counsel Beong-Soo Kim; senior VP of HR, equity and compliance Felicia Washington; and presidential adviser Mark Merritt.
The appointments come less than a week after Bohn surprisingly resigned. Bohn, 62, had been a leading figure in revamping the football program by bringing Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma.
While Bohn cited health concerns and the desire to spend time with his family in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper reported that Bohn’s resignation came shortly after it asked him and the school about internal criticism of his management of the athletic department.
According to the Times, six current and former USC employees said staffers inside the department had raised concerns about Bohn and his management approach. Multiple sources told the Times that Bohn made inappropriate comments about the dress, hair and weight of women in the department, leaving staffers uncomfortable.
Earlier this year, the university conducted an internal review led by Gina Maisto Smith, a Philadelphia-based attorney from Cozen O’Connor who has experience dealing with “sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, child abuse, elder abuse, other forms of discrimination and harassment, workplace misconduct, and criminal conduct,” according to the firm’s website.
Bohn’s departure came at a crucial time for USC, which is heading into its final year as a member of the Pac-12 before leaving for the Big Ten.
Folt did not provide any updates in Wednesday’s letter about the timeline to hire Bohn’s replacement.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.