Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says he’ll retire in summer 2024

By MITCH STACY
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said he plans to retire next summer. Smith, who has spent the past 18 years at Ohio State leading one of the largest and most successful athletic programs in the country, announced Wednesday that he would step down in July 2024. Smith, a Cleveland native who played college football at Notre Dame, became Ohio State’s eighth athletic director in April 2005. He had previously been athletic director at Arizona State, Eastern Michigan and Iowa State. Ohio State teams have won 115 team Big Ten titles under Smith. He had signed a four-year contract extension in 2021.