USC has hired Big 12 executive associate commissioner Ed Stewart as its new executive senior associate athletic director for football administration, AD Mike Bohn announced Friday.

While not a direct replacement in terms of the vast scope of responsibilities former executive senior associate AD/chief of staff Brandon Sosna held in the department, Stewart does replace Sosna as the administrator who will work directly with the football program on a daily basis.

Sosna left USC last month to become the Lions' senior director of football administration, after having followed Bohn from Cincinnati to USC.

"We are thrilled to have Ed join our athletic department. He is a proven industry leader, and his experience, relationships and administrative expertise will be tremendously valuable to our leadership team," Bohn tweeted Friday.

Stewart spent 16 years in the Big 12 and served as the conference's lead football administrator, after previously serving as an associate AD for administration at Missouri, working closely with the football program there.

Stewart played for Nebraska's 1994 national championship football team, serving as a team captain.

Per ESPN.com's Pete Thamel, part of Stewart's motivation in making the move is to work toward becoming a college athletic director.