An ASU spokesperson dispelled reports Thursday that have Athletic Director Gene Smith headed to Ohio State.
Mark Brand, assistant athletic director for media relations, said Smith would not comment on the prospect of going to Ohio State because he doesn't want to compromise the integrity of Ohio State's search.
Smith, a Cleveland native, is rumored to be the leading candidate for the athletic director position at Ohio State and could be hired as early as today, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
"I spoke to Gene [Thursday] afternoon, and he told me that he has not interviewed with Ohio State and that he has not spoken with them," Brand said. "He told me that his name continually comes up in these searches. That's all we know."
Several sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Dispatch that Smith, 49, has been tabbed a favorite to replace embattled Athletic Director Andy Geiger, who will retire June 30 with a year left on his contract.
According to The Dispatch, Smith could be formally introduced as Ohio State's new athletic director as early as Sunday, when the Buckeyes men's basketball team hosts No. 1 Illinois.
Smith has headed ASU's athletic department since 2000, erasing a nearly $4 million debt that he inherited.
Those close to Smith said the reports come as a shock.
"That really surprises me, but it makes sense," former ASU guard Brandon Goldman said. "I think it's a great move for Gene Smith because Ohio State is one of the top schools in the nation athletically and their alumni support is ridiculous."
Goldman said Smith has a unique touch with student-athletes.
"I was the 16th guy on the basketball team, and I'd go into his office and talk about different things to do with basketball and marketing," Goldman said. "I was really impressed with him."
Not everyone said Smith's departure would be positive.
"Any time you lose your leader, especially in an academic year, that's a big loss," said ASU play-by-play broadcaster Tim Healey, who co-hosts Smith's weekly radio show on ESPN Radio 860 AM.
Healey said Smith was faced with a difficult situation when he came to ASU, considering he had to trim the athletic department's budget.
"They had to make some tough choices and tough decisions in that regard over the years," Healey said. "But I get the sense that Gene has grown to be very well respected by the people within the athletic department, and the budget deficit has come down significantly. I would hate to see him leave."
Healey doesn't expect the speculation about Smith's departure to affect the ASU men's basketball team, which hosts No. 11 UA in Saturday's regular-season finale.
"I think kids tend to be focused in on their own little worlds," Healey said. "That's not to belittle the significance of the news, if indeed it happens."
ASU men's golf coach Randy Lein, who spent eight years under former Athletic Directors Charles Harris and Kevin White, said he hopes the news of Smith's departure is nothing more than a rumor.
"I can't think of any athletic director that I've worked for that has been any better with the coaches," Lein said. "I think he is just sensitive to people, everyone within Intercollegiate Athletics and student-athletes. He makes people feel like they're important."
If Smith takes the job at Ohio State, he would become the university's eighth athletic director, but the first black person to hold the position.
Smith has overseen the completion of ASU's $19 million Carson Student-Athlete Center and was instrumental in the foundation of the Fulton Challenge -- a unique program in which developer Ira A. Fulton has pledged to match funds donated to the Sun Angel Foundation.
When hired at ASU, Smith said his goal was to win national championships in every sport and indicated that this might be his last stop.
"I am here for the long haul," Smith said at his introductory press conference. "[I] am just excited to be here and to be part of an athletic department that is as solid as ASU."
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu. Sports editor Brian Gomez and assistant sports editor Jeff Hoodzow contributed to this story.
