Given the imminent departure of current athletic director Gene Smith, the Ohio State Buckeyes are in need of a new athletic director this year. It sounds like Ohio State has keyed in a frontrunner for the job – and fans are not at all excited about it.
According to a report from college football insider Pete Thamel of The Athletic, Ohio State is moving toward hiring current Texas A&M Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork.
“Sources: Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork has emerged as the target in Ohio State’s athletic director search. Search is expected to be finalized in upcoming days,” Thamel wrote in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
Based on the reactions from Ohio State fans and college football fans across the country, this is not a popular hire for the Buckeyes with many pointing to the massive guaranteed contract Bjork gave to Jimbo Fisher as well as the recent botched hiring of Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Stoops.
Would be one of the worst hires in recent memory, but anytime you can hire the guy who hired Matt Luke and extended Jimbo Fisher you have to do it. Ole Miss fans were happy when he left and A&M fans currently hate him for the Mark Stoops fiasco and would be thrilled. https://t.co/oSToy3Qdhe
— Ryan Ginn (@rmginn) January 15, 2024
Dude has spent his entire career failing upward https://t.co/Felivmbpjv
— @govolx (@MarkInColumbo) January 15, 2024
Hand out arguably the worst football coaching contract extension in history, be forced to admit the very expensive mistake a couple years later, get a promotion. What a business. https://t.co/RbaSF4fzSt
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 15, 2024
The definition of "failing upwards." Bjork is a smooth talker but has overseen disasters everywhere he's been:
– He was the AD at Ole Miss during the Freeze scandals, defending him until he threw him under the bus.
– He gave Fisher a raise/extension adding $41 mil to the buyout. https://t.co/NeJPwD0YEl— College Football Nerds (@CFBNerds) January 15, 2024
Ross Bjork (@RossBjorkAD has destroyed every program he’s touched
– Ole Miss
– Texas A&Mand now potentially Ohio State soon https://t.co/Zn5VZgGBr1
— SOARING (@DrinksSyrup) January 15, 2024
How in the world does Ross Bjork keep failing up the ladder? https://t.co/C1Pu3OuXUU
— Hamp Hickman (@HampHickman) January 15, 2024
never seen a worse candidate bounce upwards. https://t.co/G2ugsCb61E
— The Dawghouse (@sbcmortgageman) January 15, 2024
I'm going to be honest. I don't like this move for Ohio State…at all.
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) January 15, 2024
It will certainly be interesting to see whether or not Ohio State decides to stick with this move despite the reaction from fans. If it happens, it’s clear it will be an incredibly unpopular hire.
