Auburn will have an important decision to fill within its athletic department, as deputy athletic director Jared Benko is heading to Iowa State.
That’s according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel:
Benko’s departure created a significant opening for Auburn AD John Cohen, who brought Benko back to Auburn in October 2024 to help with the always-changing landscape of college athletics.
During his time at Auburn, Benko’s responsibilities included strategic planning, business operations, personnel decisions, contracts and funding for capital projects. His experience helped him play a crucial part of Cohen’s staff.
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Before returning to Auburn, Benko was the athletic director at Georgia South from 2020 to 2024. During his time there, he helped the Eagles have four consecutive years of fundraising records, generating more than $40 million in donations.
Benko also previously worked with Cohen at Mississippi State, serving as deputy athletic director and chief financial officer.
He will be replacing Jamie Pollard, who announced his retirement earlier this year. He was the longest-serving athletic director at any Power-4 school, as he had held the position since 2005. Pollard had a ton of success with hiring coaches, as he hired Fred Hoiberg, Matt Campbell, and T.J. Oltzenberger during his time in Ames.
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