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Report: Auburn to hire Georgia Southern AD Jared Benko as Tigers' executive deputy AD

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko10/30/24nickkosko59
USATSI_17093013 (1)
Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Georgia Southern athletic director Jared Benko is set to become the new executive deputy AD at Auburn, according to Yahoo Sports‘ Ross Dellenger.

“Georgia Southern AD Jared Benko will be the new executive deputy AD at Auburn, sources tell Yahoo Sports,” Dellenger wrote on Twitter. “Benko, who worked at AU in 2015-16, will focus on AU’s transition to the rev-share era. He’s not the first to make the G5 AD-to-P4 deputy move. He’s unlikely to be the last.”

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The 10-year settlement agreement in revenue sharing, if approved, will also bring new roster limits for every sport and arbitration to enforce disputes. The expectation is lawyers will pick arbitrators before the final hearing of the suit, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

For revenue sharing to begin with the 2025-26 academic year, the House settlement must earn final approval, adding to the importance of the preliminary approval. During the first year of the settlement, each school can share payments with their athletes totaling 22% of the average Power Five school’s revenues, which equates to $20-22 million. That so-called cap figure is expected to rise 4% during the first few years of the model.

Benko started his tenure at Georgia Southern in 2020 and was responsible for the hiring of football coach Clay Helton ahead of the 2022 season. Prior to his time at the school, Benko began his career at Georgia, working as the Assistant Director of Business Operations from 2008-11.

Benko then moved to Arkansas from 2011-15 as the Director of Business Operations. This also isn’t the first time he’ll be at Auburn.

From 2015-16, Benko served as an assistant AD for the Tigers before going to Mississippi State from 2016-20 as a deputy AD.

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With Benko coming into the fold, Auburn still has a football game to prepare for with Vanderbilt on the docket.

“I’m sick of seeing that quarterback,” head coach Hugh Freeze said while laughing, referring to Vandy QB Diego Pavia.

In that 2023 game between Auburn and New Mexico State, Freeze couldn’t find a way to stop Pavia. The Aggies scored 31 points in the win, largely thanks to Pavia throwing for three touchdowns. Of course, that game wasn’t the first time that Freeze had run into Pavia. The two also met when Freeze was at Liberty. There, Pavia beat Freeze for the first time, scoring six total touchdowns in the process.