Ross Bjork made the jump from Texas A&M to Ohio State to be the Buckeyes' new athletic director, it was announced Tuesday.
Bjork's hiring brings a paradigm shift for Ohio State athletics in the wake of the retirement of longtime athletic director Gene Smith, signaling a change in direction under new president Ted Carter, who began his tenure in recent weeks.
“Few athletic directors have established such an impressive and strong record of success in athletics, in the classroom and throughout the community,” Carter said in a statement. “The bar is incredibly high at Ohio State and we have found in Ross a very intelligent and effective leader, not to mention a fierce competitor.”
Bjork, 51, will work with Smith in the transition and will officially begin her tenure with the Buckeyes on July 1.
“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.” Björk said in a statement. “Being a part of Buckeye Nation, along with its storied traditions and long history of achievement, is a tremendous honor and a welcome challenge for me and our family. I can't wait to get started.”
Bjork brings more than a decade of SEC experience. He worked at Ole Miss as athletic director from 2012 to 2019 before being hired at Texas A&M. Before Ole Miss, he was athletic director at Western Kentucky and before that, associate or assistant AD at schools like UCLA, Miami and Missouri.
Bjork had just fired Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher, at the cost of the highest termination in sports history. Texas A&M owes Fisher more than $76 million on the fully guaranteed deal. Björk did not hire Fisher, but she was athletic director when the contract extension that led to the termination was issued.
In the wake of Fisher's firing, Bjork executed a coaching search that ended with the hiring of former Duke coach Mike Elko.
Bjork helped guide leaders in the Texas legislature in developing the new NIL law. He also oversaw the creation of programs to equip student-athletes with education and resources related to finances, personal branding, networking and media training.
Ohio State is shaping up to be one of the best jobs in college athletics. Smith will retire in July after 18 seasons, during which he emerged as one of the most respected voices in the game. Eight times during Smith's tenure, Ohio State finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in the Directors' Cup standings, which recognizes the most successful schools in college athletics.
Ohio State, which has 36 sports, has won 32 team and 117 individual national championships during Smith's tenure.
ESPN's Pete Thamel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
