STARKVILLE — What Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach expected to be quick chats with athletic director John Cohen often turned into hourlong conversations.
The dialogues were part of a strong working relationship between the two.
“I thought John was great — got along good with John,” Leach said Monday. “ … I always enjoyed working with John.”
Cohen resigned Monday after almost six years as MSU’s athletic director and in a matter of hours accepted the same position at Auburn.
Asked during his weekly press conference about his reaction to the news, Leach said he wasn’t expecting Cohen to jump ship but that it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility when it comes to college football.
“I’m surprised this happened, but I’m not surprised something surprising happened,” Leach said. “Something surprising happens every week, and you just don’t know when it’s going to manifest itself.”
First-year MSU men’s basketball coach Chris Jans was asked about Cohen’s resignation shortly after news broke Monday morning.
Jans had little comment on the news but said he would wish Cohen well and move on “if that is in truth the case.”
“I haven’t really had any time to digest it,” he said. “Not going to speak on any other man’s professional decisions that they have to make.
“John and I have had a great relationship since I arrived.”
When asked about the potential ramifications of Cohen’s departure, Jans bluntly said he had “no idea.”
At past stops, including his head coaching tenure at New Mexico State, Jans never dealt with a comparable situation.
“It’s out of my control,” he said. “I learned a long time ago you better control what you control, and that’s not something I can control. It’ll play out the way it does.”
Leach, who was hired by Cohen in January 2020, praised the athletic director’s sense of priority.
The Bulldogs coach said his boss understood which problems needed to be addressed right away and which could be waited out.
Or, to use a more evocative metaphor…
“You don’t want to go around picking up rat turds when there’s elephant turds flying everywhere,” Leach said. “Let’s try to focus on the elephants instead.”
Cohen, Leach said, was able to do that.
“He always had the ability to adjust, loosen up and get back on track very quickly,” Leach said. “He was kind of a fun guy to watch the process with.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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