Report: Ohio State AD Gene Smith a candidate for Pac-12 commissioner job
The Pac-12 decided to part ways with longtime commissioner Larry Scott on Wednesday night.
By Thursday morning, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was named as a potential replacement.
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ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg listed Smith amongst several other prominent names in college football as possible candidates to fill the role.
Pac-12 commish candidates I’ve heard: Ohio St AD Gene Smith, Stanford AD Bernard Muir, former West Virginia AD (and NCAA exec) Oliver Luck, Alabama AD Greg Byrne. ASU’s Ray Anderson could make a push. Feeling is league needs someone who knows campuses, has built-in relationships.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 21, 2021
Smith received praise in recent months for how he helped lead the effort to make the Big Ten’s football season a reality.
He does have ties to the Pac-12, as he served as Arizona State’s athletic director before moving to Ohio State in 2005. Smith has also been an AD at Eastern Michigan and Iowa State, so he has a variety of experience that dates back to 1986.
Whoever takes over the Pac-12 commissioner job will have their work cut out for them. The Pac-12 hasn’t had a program included in the College Football Playoff since 2016 and has fallen behind the other Power 5 conferences in terms of television revenue.
