Ross Bjork opens up on creating relationships with coaches he did not hire

Yesterday Ohio State announced that Ross Bjork would be taking over the reigns as the program’s new athletic director following four years in the same role at Texas A&M.

Bjork brings plenty of experience to the table with him to Columbus after spending the last 14 years as an athletic director at the FBS level at numerous different stops, also boasting more than 30 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics at large.

But Ohio State will be a new challenge for Bjork, with him being asked at his introductory press conference how he plans on evaluating and instilling confidence in his head coaches knowing that he was not the one who hired them.

“People always look at it like that’s not your coach or you didn’t (hire them), it’s the institution that comes first,” Bjork said. “So I’m gonna lean in on Gene [Smith] over these next five to six months, I’m gonna understand the dynamics and the culture. The number one thing that I can do is get to know the people because that teaches you about the culture.”

“Before you come in with some wild game plan, or I’ve got this and this is going to be a magic bullet for whatever it might be, it doesn’t work that way. You have to get to know the people, you get to know the place, which teaches you the culture,” Bjork added.

Last August Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced he’d be retiring from the role in July of 2024. Bjork’s tenure as the Buckeyes’ AD will begin on July 1, with the time between now and then serving as a transition period for him to work and learn alongside Smith, who was regarded as one of the most influential athletic directors in the country during his tenure, which dates back to 2005.

“So I’ll learn a lot from Gene and then eventually it’s me,” Bjork said. “I’ll formulate my decisions and there’s lots of ways to evaluate coaches, what I’ll do first is get to know them. Are there any barriers to success? What are the challenges right now? Is there momentum in the program in whatever categories those might be? So we’ll just sit down and learn.”

Bjork’s salary increases from the $1.5 million per year he was making with Texas A&M to $2 million a year with Ohio State on a five-year contract. But his number of responsibilities will increase as well, with the Aggies having 20 different varsity sports compared to the 36 intercollegiate sports that the Buckeyes currently hold.

“I don’t know anything about fencing, I don’t know anything about field hockey yet. So I’ve got a lot to learn about other sports that are here that I can’t wait to really understand. So it’s gonna be a learning process, and the way we’re doing this transition is so helpful where the bad decisions are actually Gene and the good decisions are mine,” Bjork joked getting a laugh from the audience. “But I’ll be able to learn a lot between now and June 30th.”

Ohio State has one of the most comprehensive athletic departments in the country, sustaining longtime success under Smith and beyond prior to Bjork’s arrival. He’ll be tasked with maintaining that success starting in the summer, but for now, building bonds with Buckeyes’ coaches and learning the ropes from one of the best is a strong place to start.