Ohio State has removed the interim tag from Jake Diebler, hiring him Sunday as the full-time replacement for Chris Holtmann after parting ways with the seventh-year coach in February.
"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach," new Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. "Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course."
Diebler, 37, is Valparaiso graduate who has worked at Ohio State since 2019. When Holtmann was fired last month, Diebler was elevated on an interim basis. He then led the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record featuring victories over Purdue and Nebraska while also doing enough to convince his bosses he's worthy of running one of the 20 best programs in the sport without any previous head-coaching experience.
"Throughout the search, every time we analyzed what was best for the program, our decision kept leading right back to Jake," Bjork said. "The way he has led the program since February 14 has been exemplary and is only the beginning of what lies ahead for Buckeye Basketball. The future is exciting, and I cannot wait to watch him lead this program."
Prior to moving to Ohio State, Diebler was an assistant for Bryce Drew at Vanderbilt, where he was the lead recruiter on five-star prospect Darius Garland. Put another way, that's when Diebler established himself as a talented recruiter, and these past eight games are when he established himself as a gifted coach. That combination, along with other things, are what provided Ohio State's administration with confidence to make a move that seemed unlikely when Holtmann was fired on Valentine's Day.
