Ohio State has hired Texas A&M’s Ross Bjork as the university’s next athletic director. Credit: Ris Twigg | Lantern File Photo
Ross Bjork will be the next athletic director of Ohio State, according to a Tuesday press release by the athletic department. He will succeed Gene Smith, who has been in the position for the past 19 years.
“I have been extraordinarily blessed to be a product of college athletics as a student-athlete and fortunate to work with so many outstanding student-athletes, coaches, staff and university leaders throughout my career, and Ohio State represents the culmination of these efforts,” Bjork said in the release.
Bjork, a 1995 graduate of Emporia State University, is the current athletic director of Texas A&M and has been for the past five years. Before becoming an Aggie, Bjork held the same role at the University of Mississippi and Western Kentucky University (2010-12).
At Ole Miss (2012-19), Bjork was — at the time — the youngest athletic director of any Power Five conference university. The accolades Bjork accumulated in such a short period was just one of the many factors that led to his hiring, Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. said.
“Few athletics directors have established such an impressive and strong record of success in athletics, in the classroom and through the community,” Carter said. “The bar is incredibly high at Ohio State and we have found in Ross a highly intelligent and effective leader – not to mention a fierce competitor.”
During his stint at Ole Miss, Bjork was most notably known for the NCAA violations that arose in the football program with former head coach Hugh Freeze.
The breach, which included 21 recruiting violations, led to the vacating of 33 wins, a one-year bowl ban and the Freeze’s resignation in 2017.
Two years later, Bjork would become a part of another Power Five institution in Texas A&M.
Since his tenure began in 2019 at Texas A&M, he helped facilitate a 10-year contract extension for head football coach Jimbo Fisher before ultimately firing him in November 2023.
The occurrence became one of the largest buyouts of a coach in college sports history, recording a total of $77.6 million.
Now at his fourth university, Bjork will take over one of the most prominent collegiate athletic departments in the nation. According to USA Today, Ohio State was the highest income generator amongst college sports in the nation in 2022.
Smith, who will step down at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, said his most important task before he departs is making sure Ross is well acquainted with the university. He said he’ll continue to work with Ross during his tenure to ensure a smooth transition with those in the university and athletic department, including coaches, student-athletes and university leaders.
“Ross is uniquely equipped to step into our Buckeye community and make an immediate impact,” Smith said. “As I have said, Ohio State has afforded me the professional opportunity of a lifetime, and I am forever grateful.”
Bjork will be the ninth athletic director in Ohio State history, without any prior affiliation to the state of Ohio or the Big Ten conference. His tenure as the Ohio State athletic director will begin July 1.
