Big Ten Conference hires Turnkey recruiting service to help land next commissioner

The Big Ten has taken 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.”

Turnkey was contracted by the NCAA to find and hire the new president to replace outgoing president Mark Emmert: Outgoing Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker. They also were the firm contracted by the ACC, Big 12 and Pac 12 for their conference commissioner searches.

With a search firm in tow, the league can begin in earnest to suss out and vet candidates, likely with the goal of having a replacement line up or in place before the summer.

Warren is slated to take over as president and CEO of the Chicago Bears this spring.

Who might be the next Big Ten commissioner?

With Warren on the outs, set to takeover as the President and CEO of the Chicago Bears in mid-April, it leaves the Big Ten in a leadership lurch, but also provides an opportunity to shape the future of the league.

And after taking on an NFL lifer in Warren to lead the league, are Big Ten leaders looking for someone with a college background or who is already in the league, even? According to a list of potential candidates from The Athletic — which includes the likes of UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond, Ohio State AD Gene Smith and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, to name a few — the answer appears to be yes.

The list ultimately breaks down into three main categories: Current conference commissioners, sitting athletic directors, and options from outside the usual pool of campus options.

Big Ten commissioner candidate list, via The Athletic

Jim Phillips, ACC commissioner: Phillips will be the name de jour to take the reins leading the Big Ten. He’s coming from a Power 5 commissioner seat, so experience in the college athletics realm is no question, nor are his Big Ten creds. Phillips is from Chicago, went to Illinois and eventually served as the AD at Northwestern for more than a decade. He’s been ACC commissioner since 2021.

Jennifer Heppel, Patriot League commissioner: A Big Ten league office alum, Heppel has been atop the Patriot League since 2015. Along with being a finalist for the role the last time around, Heppel worked two stints with the Big Ten, most recently from 2010 to 2015.

Gene Smith, Ohio State AD: Probably the voice with the most sway in the Big Ten in any role, moving from Ohio State AD to running the Big Ten would be a natural evolution for Smith in his career, if he wants to do it. While he’d be a familiar voice with plenty of institutional knowledge, it worth questioning if the league wants someone of Smith’s age — he’s 67 — and he signed a contract extension through 2026 just last year.

Bernard Muir, Stanford AD: A recent track record of athletic success, particularly among Olympic sports, make Muir an attractive candidate. Plus, the previous Stanford AD was Bob Bowlsby, who went on to a mostly successful tenure leading the Big 12 as commissioner.

Martin Jarmond, UCLA AD: Jarmond is one of the hottest rising names in the sport and the 43-year-old has plenty of Big Ten experience after time working as an administrator in the Michigan State and Ohio State athletic departments. He’d be a big change for a conference known to be rather buttoned up, and coming from a school just entering the conference isn’t the most straightforward sell.

Mark Silverman, Fox Sports president: As the Big Ten added USC and UCLA then negotiated a media rights deal worth $8 billion with Fox as a primary carrier, it became a bit of a joke that Fox and ESPN were driving the decision making in college sports. While that’s not the case, there is some truth to the notion and as president and chief operating officer for Fox Sports, he’s overseen their burgeoning college programming. He’d fit the trend of conferences hiring people with media or business backgrounds for the job.

Ted Carter, University of Nebraska system president: While he’d need to be elevated by his peers into a role where he holds some power over them — always a bit of an odd fact to maneuver around — Carter knows the value of Big Ten football and has no lack of experience with the schools and conference. He’s also got a military background to bolster his leadership credentials.

Kerry Kenny, Big Ten conference executive: Somewhat Silverman’s counterpart in the Big Ten office, Kenny is the senior vice president for TV, media analytics and emerging platforms. He’s been with the Big Ten for a decade and a half and was right in the thick of the media rights negotiation. His youth — he’s not yet 40 years old — might hurt a potential candidacy for the role.

Cathy Engelbert, WNBA commissioner: As college sports become more professional, who better to lead your league than a commissioner from a professional league? In this case, Engelbert comes to the league after roughly four years heading up the WNBA. The WNBA has seen immense growth during her tenure in charge — and navigated the pandemic better than most any other league — and Engelbert could join the Big Ten at a time when women’s basketball is rapidly growing in the league.

Tim Pernetti, IMG Academy president: A former Rutgers AD and castoff as a result of the Mike Rice scandal, Pernetti would be an interesting choice. He helped bring Rutgers into the Big Ten from the Big East but has been out of college sports for nearly a decade. He has executive experience and IMG Academy isn’t too far off from some colleges in terms of visibility and demands.

Chris Howard, Arizona State Public Enterprise executive: A name you have probably never heard, Howard has a resume you won’t forget: former college football player, Afghanistan combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, Rhodes scholar, Harvard MBA, former college president. He and Pernetti (above) were both in contention for the NCAA president job, according to The Athletic.