(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gene Smith began his tenure as Ohio State’s eighth director of athletics Friday not with guns blazing and changes on the brain, but with a cautious approach to focus on learning about OSU athletics.

“It’s going to take some time and assessment to determine what I need to do here that fits The Ohio State University and its culture before I can sit here and say, ‘We are going to do this,'” Smith said Friday afternoon. “It’s a very complex organization.”

Smith takes over for the retiring Andy Geiger after leaving the same position at Arizona State University. The end of his term at ASU was marred by the murder of former Sun Devil football player Brandon Falkner by tailback Loren Wade on March 26. He said the incident, which came after Wade had threatened a female athlete and a former female athlete at the school, had a large effect on him.

“We’re all the sum of all of our experiences in life,” Smith said. “That experience has strengthened me in a number of different ways, and I will be a better administrator for it and I will be a better person for it.”

Inheriting a department with over $200 million in debt, Smith said that he does not expect OSU to have to drop any of its 36 varsity sports.

“I am a person that believed that what has been built here is just unbelievable,” he said. “I’m doing everything I can to protect and as I look at the budget, I see no need to make any changes in that regard.”

Smith said that he received numerous e-mails and letters about changing the seating situation at the Schottenstein Center for basketball games. Currently, the Buckeye nut house student section is located behind the baskets and Smith said he would like to foster the best possible environment at the Schott for games.

“I don’t know if we have that or not,” Smith said. “It’s something I’ll have to look at.”

With an NCAA committee recently approving legislation that would allow a 12th football game each season, Smith said he agreed with that decision.

“I love the 12th game,” Smith said. “I’ve been a strong believer that we needed first, more revenue opportunities for a lot of our programs across this country, and obviously an additional football game provides that.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that OSU could make up to an extra $5 million per year if the NCAA Board of Governors approves the legislation.

Smith said that he heard no indication if there would be further penalties placed on the men’s basketball team for violations that occurred during the coaching tenure of Jim O’Brien. The team endured a school-imposed ban on postseason play this season. In addition, he said he did not know of any future sanctions imposed on the football program as a result of claims by former running back Maurice Clarett.

Smith also took a minute to clarify a mistake he made during his introductory press conference when he said that in all his years of coaching at Notre Dame, he never lost to Michigan. His record was actually 2-2.

“I made a big mistake,” Smith said. “All I could remember was the wins. Things happen to you when you get old.”

Originally from Cleveland, Smith said he was excited to be home again.

“[I’m] jacked up,” he said. “I love this part of the country. The trees are starting to blossom, the grass is green – I can take my little wedge out and chip, I couldn’t do that in the desert.”

– Jeff Svoboda