Vikings COO Kevin Warren will be next Big Ten commissioner

Vikings

The Big Ten will name Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren commissioner to replace Jim Delany, an NFL source confirmed Monday night. The official announcement is at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Delany will step down in June of 2020. He has been commissioner since 1989.

The 55-year-old Warren is the highest ranking African-American on the business side of an NFL team and would be the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.

The Big Ten used the Chicago firm Korn Ferry to search for Delany's replacement, a search headed by Northwestern President Morton Schapiro. The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips was the leading…