Thad Matta a candidate for Indiana's head-coaching job?

Thad Matta has been linked to several prominent head-coaching jobs since he stepped down at Ohio State nearly four years ago, and the Indiana vacancy is the latest.

Matta has emerged as a name to watch in Indiana’s coaching search, according to Rick Bozich of WDRB.

Matta has deep ties to the state of Indiana and the Midwest. He was born in Illinois and played and coached at Butler, which is in Indianapolis. The 53-year-old also has extensive experience in the Big Ten conference from his 13 years coaching at Ohio State, so he would make a lot of sense as a candidate for Indiana if he is considering a return.

While he has not coached since 2017, Matta has been linked to several jobs. He was considered the favorite for the UNLV job two years ago, which is once again vacant after T.J. Otzelberger left for Iowa State recently. Prior to that, Matta was considered a top choice of Georgia before he withdrew from consideration.

Matta had a record of 337-123 at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament nine times and made one Final Four appearance. He cited health issues as a factor when he stepped down in 2017.