Reports: Ohio State to name Ross Bjork next AD

Field Level Media|published: Mon 15th January, 14:39 2024

Oct. 14, 2023; Lafayette, In., USA; Gloves lie on top of the helmet of Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Julian Fleming (4) before Saturday's NCAA Division I football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in Lafayette. credits: Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State is expected to name Ross Bjork, the athletic director at Texas A&M, to the same position, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Gene Smith, who is retiring in June, has been athletic director in Columbus since 2005.

A Kansas native who played football at Emporia State, Bjork, 51, has been at the helm at Texas A&M since July 2019. He previously was the athletic director at Ole Miss and Western Kentucky.

The Ohio State trustees must approve the hiring.

In a recent interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State's new president, Ted Carter, said experience was a must for the new athletic director given the complexities of college athletics, including conference realignment and NIL issues.

"We need to hire somebody that is not learning on the job," Carter said. "(They) have to come in with a whole lot of experience, understand the challenges that are out in front of us, be able to make certainly hard decisions — because there will be some hard decisions coming up."

—Field Level Media