BOOM
Florida running back Elijah Newman-Hall commits to Ohio State, giving the Buckeyes their first 2028 commitment.
After a long, decorated career in sports information and media relations, Jerry Emig is hanging up his trademark binder.
Following one last run with the team through the 2025 season, Emig will retire this March after 15 years as Ohio State football sports information director, seven years as the athletic department's director of communications and 33 total years working in sports information.
“As the leader of our communications team, Jerry has been a consistent and passionate advocate for our student-athletes, ensuring their stories are shared with authenticity and pride,” Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said in a release. “His dedication to preserving and promoting the history of Buckeye athletics is truly commendable. Beyond his professional contributions, Jerry has been a trusted advisor, a creative force, and a source of positivity and humor. His presence will be deeply missed, but we’re excited for him as he prepares to enjoy a well-earned retirement with his family.”
A graduate of Murray State University, Emig earned his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1986. Since becoming the football team's top media relations contact in 2011, he has seen the Buckeyes win two national championships, five Big Ten championships, and make six College Football Playoffs.
Senior deputy director of athletics and senior women's administrator Janine Oman is also retiring in June 2026. She's dedicated nearly 30 years of service to the betterment of women's athletics at Ohio State, while overseeing performance, compliance and SASSO within the athletic department.
Alongside their retirements, the Buckeyes' athletic department also announced the formation of its Center for Sports Intelligence and Strategy on Thursday. The goal of the center will be to foster collaboration between various athletics teams and pursue data-driven strategies to enhance team performance. They will also provide data on the NIL front, helping support the department's newly formed Buckeye Sports Group.
“The Center for Sports Intelligence & Strategy will equip our coaches with more information, context and clarity to make even better decisions,” deputy athletics director Shaun Richard said. “We already have the best sports science team that equips our coaches with data on training, recovery, and performance. This unit will work in tandem with our sports scientists, as well as our business and NIL strategy teams, to give coaches additional data and actionable insights.”
Richard will oversee the Center for Sports Intelligence and Strategy, which hopes to make an impact on teams' recruiting and roster management, scheduling strategy, scholarship and budget modeling and other operational aspects, per the release.
