Report: Buckeyes targeting Ross Bjork in athletic director search
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is in the final stages of finding the replacement for legendary athletic director Gene Smith.
The Buckeyes are reportedly zeroing in on Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork, according to ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel.
“Sources: Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork has emerged as the target in Ohio State’s athletic director search,” Thamel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Search is expected to be finalized in upcoming days.”
Smith announced in August that he would be leaving his post as the Buckeyes athletic director June 30, 2024. The Ohio State brass immediately went into search mode. Of course, they had to hire a president first, and that came in August.
The Ohio State board of trustees appointed Walter “Ted” Carter its next university president. Carter, 64, had been serving as the president of the University of Nebraska system since January 2020.
Carter is replacing former Ohio State president Kristina M. Johnson, who stepped down from her position in May after taking over in August 2020. Carter is due to start his new role at Ohio State on Jan. 1, 2024.
Now it appears Carter and the top Ohio State power players have found their top name for the athletic director spot, and it comes from the SEC.
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Bjork, the current athletic director at Texas A&M, was at Ole Miss from 2012-2019, where he oversaw football success from Hugh Freeze. Bjork also hired Matt Luke before he was fired two years later.
Bjork oversaw the contract extension for now-former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher before Bjork and his athletic department paid a historic $76 million buyout for Fisher after disappointing seasons in College Station. Bjork then made the hire of former Aggies defensive coordinator and Duke coach Mike Elko as the next Texas A&M head coach.
The 51-year-old Bjork has also helped Texas A&M through the great transitionary period of college football in the SEC, as the conference is set to welcome Texas and Oklahoma next year.
Before his time at Texas A&M and Ole Miss, Bjork was the athletic director at Western Kentucky and had posts in the athletic departments at UCLA, Miami (Florida) and Missouri.
This is a developing story. Lettermen Row will have more information when it becomes available.
