A playlist of videos from NBC4’s interview with Ohio State University president Ted Carter can be seen in the player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State reportedly is moving toward hiring an athletic director from the Southeastern Conference.
Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork has emerged as Ohio State’s top candidate for the position, which will open up once current AD Gene Smith’s retirement goes into effect on June 30. Multiple reports indicate OSU is moving toward Bjork and that the process is expected to be completed over the coming days.
Bjork has over a decade of experience as an athletic director at three schools, starting with Western Kentucky in 2010. After three years at WKU, the 51-year-old from Dodge City, Kansas became the Mississippi athletic director in 2012 and held that position until 2019. He then went to Texas A&M and has held that position since.
When Bjork was hired at Ole Miss, he was the youngest AD among the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-12). At College Station, he hired five head coaches with nearly all of them helping the Aggies toward NCAA success in their respective sports.
New Ohio State president Ted Carter said whoever replaces Smith needs to have a strong understanding of the ground beneath them, from name, image and likeness to an expanded Big Ten.
“Whoever that is can’t come in and do learning on the job,” Carter said. “They’ve got to come in and be ready to hit it.” Carter said being a university alum is no requirement for the job.