Ohio State has hired Ross Bjork as its athletics director in advance of the retirement of longtime AD Gene Smith.

Bjork comes to the Buckeyes after five years at Texas A&M and eight at Ole Miss. He will take over at Ohio State on July 1.

“Few athletics directors have established such an impressive and strong record of success in athletics, in the classroom and throughout the community,” Ohio State president Ted Carter said. “The bar is incredibly high at Ohio State, and we have found in Ross a highly intelligent and effective leader — not to mention a fierce competitor.”

The 51-year-old Bjork was also AD at Western Kentucky from 2010-12 and worked in athletic administration at Missouri, Miami and UCLA. He played football at Emporia (Kan.) State in the early 1990s before breaking in as an athletic development officer at WKU in 1996.

“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,” Bjork said. “To be 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 has had some controversial moments in his career, however. Though he did not hire football coach Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss, he oversaw the athletics department during a lengthy NCAA investigation that ultimately resulted in major sanctions against the program.

Bjork also did not hire Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, but did award him with a lucrative contract extension at the end of the 2020 season. The Aggies paid Fisher a record buyout of more than $75 million when he was fired late in the 2023 season.

Smith has been Ohio State’s AD since 2005. A former Notre Dame football player, he is among the most decorated and highly regarded administrators in college sports.