Ohio State promotes Jake Diebler to head coach

Ohio State removed the interim tag from Jake Diebler's title on Sunday and named him as the 15th head coach of its basketball program.

Diebler received a five-year contract from the school. Financial terms were not disclosed, however.

"It's a blessing and a privilege to serve this program and I'm excited for this opportunity," Diebler said. "Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can."

Diebler, 37, was named the interim coach after Chris Holtmann was fired on Valentine's Day. Diebler guided the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record, a stretch that began with a 73-69 upset of then-No. 2 Purdue on Feb. 19.

Ohio State advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament before dropping a 77-74 decision to Illinois on Friday.

"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach," said Ross Bjork, senior advisor for athletics and the incoming athletic director. "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."

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.

He was the promoted to associate head coach before the 2021-22 season.