10:23 a.m. ET
Pete Thamel ESPN
One of the most prominent members of the USC athletic department is making the move to the NFL.
Brandon Sosna, USC’s athletics chief of staff, who oversees the football program, is taking a job with the Detroit Lions, sources told ESPN.
Sources say Sosna began notifying employees of his decision earlier this week. According to sources, his role at the Lions is expected to be that of senior director of football administration.
Sosna has been USC athletic director Mike Bohn’s No. 2 role since Bohn’s hiring in late 2019, including a promotion to executive senior associate athletic director. During this time, Bohn credited Sosna as the architect for the “brilliant” search for Lincoln Riley as head coach.
USC has been aggressive in trying to keep Sosna, sources said, but the lure of a career in the NFL trumped anything the school could think of.
“He had a profound impact on modernizing the athletic department,” said a USC source. “He has helped us attract industry leaders and put our football program on the fast track to competitiveness.”
Sosna also worked with Bohn at the University of Cincinnati, where he served as chief of staff and later as chief revenue officer and senior associate athletic director. Sosna also played a behind-the-scenes role in the hiring of Luke Fickell and helped lay the foundation for that program’s rise to a consistent top-25 team.
Sosna comes to the Lions with NFL experience. He spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, where his roles included salary cap and contract analyst. He started out with the Browns in the football administration department.
Sosna not only played a huge role in orchestrating Riley’s hiring, but also worked hand-in-hand with the football program on a daily basis. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sosna was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2020.