Chris Holtmann, who was on the verge of his eighth season as the men’s basketball coach at Ohio State, was let go.
Associate head coach Jake Diebler will lead the Buckeyes in an acting capacity for the remainder of the season, the school announced on Wednesday.
At a news conference on Wednesday, departing Ohio State sports director Gene Smith stated, “Our responsibility is to the program. I just felt at this particular time, with six regular season games left and the Big Ten tournament and whatever the postseason brings, a spark was needed.” “So yeah, it’s about the program in the end, and I have to set aside my personal feelings and just go with what’s best.”
“Obviously something I’ve been thinking about for a little bit,” Smith stated of the coaching move.
With four years left on his deal that expired during the 2027–2028 season, Holtmann will get a $12.8 million buyout, according to a press release from the university.
The process of finding Holtmann’s successor will be headed by Ross Bjork, the new athletic director. Although Bjork won’t take over as Ohio State’s AD until July, the university said on Wednesday that he will take on a temporary position in the athletic department on March 1 as Smith’s senior adviser.
The Buckeyes’ 62-54 loss at Wisconsin on Tuesday marked their ninth straight loss in 11 games; as a result, they are now 4-10 in the Big Ten and 14-11 overall.
Before Ohio State signed Holtmann to succeed Thad Matta in 2017, he guided Butler to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. With a 25-9 (15-3 in the Big Ten) record in his first year at Ohio State, he advanced to the NCAA tournament twice in a row and won a tournament game each time. In 2022, the Ohio State University was ranked second in the NCAA tournament. However, they were stunned by Oral Roberts, ranked fifteenth, in the first round and did not proceed to the second round.
But Ohio State’s performance in the previous season—16-19 overall and 5-15 in the Big Ten—was a significant regression. Additionally, the Buckeyes have fallen to last place in the Big Ten rankings despite having started the season 12-2.
The road losses and January troubles for Ohio State are well-documented. The Buckeyes are 18-29 in January games over the last six seasons and haven’t won on the road since January 1, 2023.
Prior to taking over as head coach at Gardner-Webb, Holtmann ascended the coaching ranks as an assistant at Division III Geneva College. After leading the Runnin’ Bulldogs from 11 victories in their inaugural season to a second-place Big South result in their third, he departed to go as an assistant for Butler under Brandon Miller. After just three months, Holtmann was granted the permanent position as head coach following Miller’s leave of absence.
