Report: Ohio State to elevate Jake Diebler to head coach

Field Level Media|published: Sun 17th March, 03:05 2024

Mar 15, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler celebrates during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Target Center. credits: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

After guiding Ohio State to a 6-2 record when he took over the program in February, interim head coach Jake Diebler is expected to be named the Buckeyes' head coach, per an ESPN report Saturday night.

After Chris Holtmann was fired on Valentine's Day following a tough start in Big Ten conference play, all Diebler did in his debut was steer Ohio State to a 73-69 upset of then-No. 2 Purdue.

The Buckeyes reeled off five straight wins under Diebler, reaching the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals before losing to Illinois 77-74 on Friday night.

ESPN currently has projects Ohio State to narrowly be on the outside of the NCAA Tournament's 68-team field, which will be revealed Sunday. The Buckeyes haven't advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since 2013, when they reached the Elite Eight.

Diebler's first stint at Ohio State was on head coach Thad Matta's staff from 2014-16 as the video coordinator. Following three seasons as an assistant under head coach Bryce Drew at Vanderbilt, Diebler rejoined the Buckeyes' staff under Holtmann in 2019.

—Field Level Media