Gene Smith will not be the Big Ten’s next commissioner.
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday, Smith said he is not interested in succeeding Kevin Warren as the leader of the Big Ten.
“I’m not interested in that commissioner’s job,” Smith told the Dispatch. “People keep asking me that and I’m like, ‘Why?’”
Given his standing as one of the most influential voices in college sports, Smith has often been named as a speculative candidate for major administrative openings within college sports. That said, Smith has repeatedly opted not to pursue those opportunities and stay at Ohio State, where he has been athletic director since 2005.
The Big Ten entered the market for a new commissioner for the second time in four years when Warren left the conference last month to become the president and CEO of the Chicago Bears. The conference announced last week it has hired search firm TurnkeyZRG to lead its search for its seventh commissioner.
