The Big Ten remains without a commissioner. An odd status for the intercollegiate athletics conference which is the richest in all of the Power Five.
Jim Delany retired a few years ago and was replaced by Kevin Warren, who had a mixed bag of a short tenure. Warren, who left the conference to join the Chicago Bears front office, had the success of adding USC and UCLA to the conference while also inking a landmark broadcast deal that moved the Big Ten from ESPN to CBS, Fox, and NBC. But he’ll also be known as the commissioner who was keen on canceling the 2020 college football season (before he ultimately recanted, late) while all of the other conferences decided to play close to full schedules.
With Warren gone, the Big Ten is looking for new leadership, and while many had anticipated it could come by way of former Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips, who is currently the commissioner of the ACC, it turns out that Phillips is keen to stay where he is.
As the Big Ten closes in on a commissioner hire, Jim Phillips, the former Northwestern AD who B1G administrators hoped would replace Jim Delany, will be staying put in the ACC. https://t.co/kQY49Rk2VV
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) April 11, 2023
For now, the Big Ten will continue to search and hone in on candidates. After all, Warren wasn’t a top name when he was hired, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if a new name came from seemingly out of nowhere. But Phillips had long been thought as the heir apparent, and it appears that just won’t be happening.
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