Outgoing AD went “all in” to fianance Ohio State football

The Ohio State football program brings in the most revenue of any program in the country. Because of that, they are able to afford the best facilities and spend a lot of money on their coaches. They bear the fruits of their own rewards. Outgoing athletic director Gene Smith knows that better than anyone.

Smith will be retiring at the end of June and Ross Bjork will officially take over the job. Bjork already made his first big move by hiring Jake Diebler as the head coach of the basketball program. Bjork also got Smith on board with NIL financing and it’s something that Smith took to heart, revealing how much he spent during an hourlong talk on Thursday.

Gene Smith said he went all in to finance the Ohio State football team before the 2024 season

Smith decided that he wanted to make sure that the Ohio State football team wasn’t going to fail due to lack of funding. He said he “went berserk” funding the team following the 2023 season heading into 2024. That was clear after the Buckeyes allegely spent close to $13 million in NIL funds for this current roster and a boatload on the coaching staff.

This is a new era of college football. Smith understands that now that Bjork is here. I would expect this level of spending to become the new normal for the Ohio State football program. The Buckeyes have this capital available to them so they are going to spend it to make sure they have the best chance to win.

We’ll see if all of this spending is enough for them to win this year under Ryan Day. If they don’t it could be his final season. Smith and the roster have given him no excuses. Bjork expects winning, just like the Ohio State football fans do. I’d expect the spending to do good things for the Buckeyes this year.