Ohio State Buckeyes: NCAA President to step down

The Ohio State Buckeyes, and every other collegiate program, got some shocking news today. The president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, announced that he is stepping down from his post in 2023. Someone else will be leading the organization for years to come.

While the timing of this news is weird, the news itself isn’t that surprising. Emmert has been the face of an organization that has dragged its feet at any sign of change in the landscape of college athletics. That includes football, basketball, the College Football Playoff, and many other things.

Emmert might be trying to get out before things get really out of hand for the NCAA. The organization is already having to deal with NIL laws that are now in place across the country. We are already finding out that NIL is starting to get tricky very quickly.

How this might affect the Ohio State Buckeyes at large remains to be seen. Some think that the NCAA will cease to exist as an organization, at least with football, in the next 10 years or so. Non-revenue sports will be tethered to the NCAA because they don’t have anything else better.

Could Gene Smith potentially move up the ladder and try to put his hat in the right for something like this? It’s possible, but not likely. Smith is likely winding down his tenure as Athletic Director anyway. Retirement soon is a more likely option than taking this position in 2023.

We’ll see who the NCAA decides to name as Emmert’s successor once the time gets a little closer. Very interesting news for sure!