Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione glorifies Gene Smith after the Ohio State AD announces retirement

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione praised his Ohio State counterpart, Gene Smith, as Smith announced his retirement on Wednesday. Smith is set to retire in the summer of 2024 after what will be 19 seasons in charge of the Buckeyes' athletic department.

Castiglione, who is a longtime close friend of Smith, couldn't hide his feelings as the former Arizona State athletic director says goodbye to college sports. Aside from Smith's legacy, Castiglione believes Smith is one of the most amazing people he had ever come across.

“Gene Smith is one of my closest and most treasured friends in all of college athletics, so I’m not sure how to be brief in celebrating Gene Smith’s legacy," Castiglione said. "Let’s start with he’s one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever been around."

Joe Castiglione applauds Gene Smith's legacy

Gene Smith has been one of the best college sports administrators over the years. Joe Castiglione reinstated this fact, talking about how he focused on making a positive impact on everyone he worked with throughout his career.

“His entire athletics career is about positively impacting others," Castiglione said. "He’s done it as a student-athlete, coach and one of the quintessential leaders in college athletics history.

"On one hand, I’m very happy for Gene and Sheila in deciding the next chapter in their lives, but make no mistake about it, Gene is one of the pillars of our enterprise and a very tough one to replace.”

Joe Castiglione believes Smith's exemplary leadership qualities serve as a genuine model and example for everyone aspiring to replace Smith as Ohio State's athletic director.

“His leadership qualities provide a true model for those aspiring to the role … integrity, visionary, innovative, creative, thought leader, selfless, reliable, mentor, friend, relatable and more," Castiglione said. "Simply put … he is a leader worth following, and countless people like me have done that for a long time.

"I know Gene has a lot more to give, so it will be exciting to see his next chapter unfold.”

What does Smith's retirement mean for Ohio State?

Ohio State proceeds into a new era in 2024 when Gene Smith's almost two decades of leadership come to an end. Under his leadership, the Buckeyes became one of the country's top athletic departments, commanding respect in a number of major NCAA sports.

The university also experienced a massive surge in revenue under Smith, recording the highest earning in college sports in the 2022-23 academic year. He built a great tradition of athletic excellence and business astuteness in the Buckeye during his time.

Ohio State faces a daunting task of replacing Gene Smith, and Joe Castiglione, who holds the same role at Oklahoma, wasn't shy to reinstate this. Whoever ends up getting the job to replace Smith has a huge responsibility ahead of him.