Rhett Hobart, longtime colleague of John Cohen, joining the Auburn AD

AUBURN – New Auburn athletics director John Cohen is bringing a loyal and respected individual with him from Mississippi State, sources confirmed to Auburn Live.

Rhett Hobart, Mississippi State’s Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, will take over the same position at Auburn. In this role at Mississippi State, Hobart oversaw the Bulldogs External Affairs team, comprised of Broadcast & Live Events, Communications & Creative, and Fan Experience & Sales.

The website collegead.com first reported the news. Auburn Live confirmed the news with independent sources.

Hobart is considered a “rising star,” according to sources in the industry. Hobart earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Mississippi State in 2012, and his Master of Business Administration in 2014. He worked for Mississippi State previously before leaving for Wake Forest. Hobart returned to MSU in 2022, and is now leaving again to follow Cohen.

The move and timing by Cohen makes sense, as Cohen’s time has mostly been spent on hiring Hugh Freeze and working through football assistant coaching hires since he was hired at Auburn on October 31. Mississippi State finished their football season on January 2 with a bowl win over Illinois.

Hobart and the Mississippi State marketing staff received national acclaim for the redevelopment of their gameday experience at multiple venues, where they worked to invest in the idea of maximizing the car-to-car experience for fans. Twice during his tenure, MSU Marketing took home the nation’s top prize in collegiate athletics marketing, being named the NACMA Marketing Team of the Year in both 2016 and 2017 – becoming the first school to ever win the title in back to back years. The team received honorable mention recognition in 2014, 2018 and 2019, and was a finalist for the award in 2015. 

Rhett Hobart instrumental in bowl game, Mississippi State State collaborating to honor Mike Leach

The ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday marked the conclusion of a three-week tribute to late football coach Mike Leach by Mississippi State. A moment of silence before the game evolved into plans for a day-long celebration at the Tampa bowl, which involved assistance from the event’s organizers as well as members of the MSU band, spirit squad, creative services department, equipment staff, and vendors.

“It’s not the kind of thing where there’s a road map to follow,” Hobart told the Sports Business Journal. “To pull off something like this over Christmas meant that everyone had to be pulling together. I feel like we did everything we could do to honor and support his legacy. It’s amazing how many people wanted to step up.”