Five days after the Big Ten announced the additions of Oregon and Washington as its newest members, Gene Smith announced some big news of his own.
Ohio State’s athletic director called a press conference Wednesday to announce that he will retire on June 30, 2024 – just before USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington will join the conference.
In addition to explaining his decision to retire, Smith also gave insight into why the Big Ten is expanding now and what changes he thinks must continue to be made in college sports.
Here’s a quick bullet-point rundown of Smith’s most notable comments from Wednesday’s press conference (with video and more coverage to come):
- Smith said he spoke with his wife and decided after 39 years that it would be time for him to retire as Ohio State’s athletic director next year.