Ohio State AD Gene Smith says he won't interview with Texas

Seemingly minutes after Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman published a report saying that Ohio State Buckeyes athletic director Gene Smith is set to interview to replace DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Smith took to Twitter to deny the claim:

"I have the greatest respect for the University of Texas and one of my mentors, DeLoss Dodds. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be the athletics director at The Ohio State University. Reports of me interviewing at the University of Texas are inaccurate."

Smith has been a polarizing figure for Ohio State fans -- while he was responsible for the hires of football coach Urban Meyer and baskeball coach Thad Matta, two decisions that he inarguably nailed, many expressed frustration with his handling of press conferences during Tatgate, the drama surrounding Ohio State players accepting tattoos in exchange for autographs that eventually brought down head coach Jim Tressel.

And all of this a day after a source told FOX Sports Arizona that Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson turned down an informal job offer from the school in a recent meeting. A spokesperson for Texas president Bill Powers told Bohls yesterday that the report from Arizona was untrue and that Texas has not made any job offers or hires at this time.

Based on his sources, Bohls still believes that Patterson is in the running for the job and will interview with Texas.

The other name mentioned in the report as an athletic director who will interview with Texas in the near future is West Virginia's Oliver Luck, the presumed frontrunner for some time.

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