What AD John Cohen is saying about Auburn football, basketball facility upgrades

Richard Silva
Montgomery Advertiser

AUBURN — Renovating the north end zone in Jordan-Hare Stadium has been an idea floating around Auburn football for nearly a decade.

Back in 2015, former athletic director Jay Jacobs said the department was "still studying" renovation plans that could include additional suites and a new scoreboard, among other things, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. That never came to fruition.

Current AD John Cohen told the Advertiser in an exclusive interview in February that "even the most casual fan looks into our north end zone and sees that we have room for improvement there, and I think we're gonna get there."

DOING BUISNESS:What Auburn AD John Cohen said about AU's deal with Under Armour

NOT JUST YET:Despite changes, Auburn football's Hugh Freeze won't admit he's 'closed the gap' just yet

So, what's the latest update from Cohen three months later?

"Everything's been on the table in terms of facility updates, and the north end zone is something that has come up conversationally between myself and (AU president Dr. Chris Roberts)," Cohen said at an AMBUSH event in LaGrange, Georgia on Wednesday. "I'd say we're just very much in the research phase of that, looking at the history of that. I do think that there are many parts of Jordan-Hare that can be updated, worked on. ...

"Obviously, our student section is tremendous, and we want to accentuate that. We want to accentuate the premium opportunities. There have been some things that have happened around the country in terms of making upper decks and seating better for the fans, and we're going to look into that, as well. But right now, I'd say it's a lot of data-gathering, a lot of informational-gathering. But I do feel like the future's really bright for what Jordan-Hare could look like."

Auburn did approve a $6 million project in April to renovate Pat Dye Field "to improve the field drainage, resod the field, modify the perimeter of the field for improved access and circulation, and modernize the on-field electrical and communications infrastructure."

Cohen also touched on the potential to add a new basketball facility. Coach Bruce Pearl has been pushing for more space for years − men's and women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics all use the two floors located in Neville Arena − but he took his foot off the gas recently in hopes that donors could focus on giving money toward NIL, rather than facilities.

Pearl said Wednesday if Auburn couldn't do it right, he didn't want to "bite off more than we can chew."

"Name, image and likeness funding comes from a very similar source of facility funding," Cohen said. "I mean, that's the reality of it. It's not a secret. All of you are fully aware of that. So, we have to go in this with our eyes open, and we have to make priority decisions in terms of the flow of funding for priority.

"I don't think it's any secret that name, image, and likeness opportunities for student-athletes has become a priority around the country, and we have to be competitive in that area. And thank goodness we have groups of folks who believe that as well. Those two things have to balance out − future facility opportunities, along with opportunities for our student-athletes."

As for any other facility upgrades going on around campus, Cohen spoke on the renovations set to happen to Plainsman Park. The AU Board of Trustees gave final approval for a $30 million upgrade project in February. Those upgrades include three major components, according to the materials for a Feb. 3 BOT meeting: A three-story expansion along the first-base line for premium seating and club space, additional seating in the right-field terrace and "a new, 4,200 square foot unique viewing area over the Green Monster" in left field.

Cohen expects some of those upgrades to be ready by the beginning of next season. Some will have to wait until the end of the 2024 campaign.

"When you look at these facility updates, you're asking yourself: What's our goal here?" Cohen said. "Are we trying to help the fan? Are we trying to make this a better experience for the fan? Are we trying to make it better for the student-athlete? What's the goal here? And we want to do both. We want to make a better experience for the fan. We want to have a better home-field advantage.

"We want to do some things in this project for the student-athlete, as well. I think you're going to be able to see the progress pretty quickly. We have made a couple of adjustments, and again, (coach Butch Thompson) has been a part of that, so has (deputy AD Rhett Hobart). I think our fans and our student-athletes are going to be very pleased when they see the result, (but) it's going to take a little time."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.