Ohio State AD Gene Smith to Retire in 2024; OSU Has Won 9 NCAA Titles During Tenure

Gene Smith's tenure as Ohio State athletic director will come to an end after 19 years.

The 67-year-old announced Wednesday he will retire from his position effective June 30, 2024.

Ohio State's athletic programs have won nine national titles under Smith, including the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship with a 42-20 victory over Oregon on Jan. 12, 2015.

This is the second major departure for Ohio State within the past 12 months. Kristina M. Johnson resigned as president in November following an independent review into concerns about her raised by her staff, per Sheridan Hendrix of the Columbus Dispatch.

The school has yet to name a new president with no set timetable to announce a successor, though university spokesperson Ben Johnson told Josie Stewart of The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper, via email on July 5 "the search is moving forward efficiently."

Smith is the longest-tenured athletic director in the Big Ten. Michigan's Warde Manuel, Minnesota's Mark Coyle and Purdue's Michael Bobinski are the only other ADs in the conference who have been at their current school for at least seven years.

There was speculation that Smith could replace Kevin Warren, who stepped down as Big Ten commissioner in January to become president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Smith dismissed that idea, telling Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch he's "not interested in that commissioner's job." Former MLB and television executive Tony Petitti was named Warren's successor.

Ohio State hired Smith as its athletic director in March 2005. He had extensive experience in the role from his time at Eastern Michigan (1986 to '93), Iowa State (1993 to 2000) and Arizona State (2000 to '05).