Wisconsin athletics director Chris McIntosh is leaving the school to become the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Sunday, confirming multiple reports.

McIntosh will work closely with commissioner Tony Petitti and the league’s senior staff, sources told Rittenberg.

“On one hand it’s very difficult for me to transition away from a place that’s so important to me,” McIntosh told the Sports Business Journal. “On the other hand, it’s an incredible honor and an incredible opportunity to be able to transition to a position at the Big Ten and to work for an incredible leader like Commissioner Petitti and alongside some top-tier, very capable members of the Big Ten as we navigate a dynamic period for college athletics.”

McIntosh led Wisconsin athletics since Barry Alvarez’s retirement in the summer of 2021. He had worked in Wisconsin’s athletic department since 2014. He was an All-American offensive tackle for Wisconsin before the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2000 draft.

In July 2024, he signed five-year contract extension that ran through June 30, 2029.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.