Ohio State AD Gene Smith not interested in replacing Kevin Warren as Big Ten commissioner

When news broke that Kevin Warren was leaving the Big Ten to become the Chicago Bears president, the question became who’d replace him. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith emerged as an early candidate, but he made his stance clear on his interest.

Smith told The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy he isn’t interested in taking the job. He made his comments ahead of Thursday’s game between the Buckeyes and Wisconsin, all but certainly taking his name out of the running.

“I’m not interested in that commissioner’s job,” Smith said. “You can throw that in (your article) too. People keep asking me that and I’m like, ‘Why?’”

The Big Ten recently hired a firm to help with its search for its next commissioner. Warren was originally set to take over the Bears in April, but said during his introductory press conference that timeline depends on when the Big Ten starts a transition to its new regime.

Big Ten hires Turnkey recruiting service to help land next commissioner

The Big Ten took a big step in hiring a commissioner to replace outgoing leader Kevin Warren, hiring Turnkey, a corporate recruiting service for select industries, to head up the search. According to an announcement from Turnkey on Twitter, they will assist “in identifying” the seventh commissioner of the league.

The Big Ten previously used the Korn Ferry search firm the last time the commissioner spot was vacant, resulting in the Warren hire. With Warren’s general lack of popularity during his run, and Turnkey landing more and more headlining search work, the league contracted them.

“It is an exciting and transformative time to be at the Big Ten Conference,” said Robert Jones, University of Illinois chancellor and chair of the Big Ten council of presidents in a release from the league. “The Big Ten Conference is rich in academic and athletic traditions and positioned for continued success in the future. We are confident TurnkeyZRG will present candidates with strategic vision and integrity to best lead the conference, and serve its 14 (soon to be 16) world-class member institutions.”