18. Jake Diebler (Ohio State)
It’s suddenly been over two years since Diebler ascended to the top job at Ohio State. His brother Jon was a revered player a few decades ago, but Diebler played and cut his teeth at Valparaiso before eventually joining the Buckeyes staff. He was part of two different coaching staffs and got the chance to replace Chris Holtmann in the interim role back on Valentine’s Day 2024.
The Buckeyes had a brilliant ending to that season and earned Diebler the permanent gig but it’s fair to say his work has been underwhelming ever since. Ohio State struggled to a 17-win campaign and 10th place finish in his first full season at the helm before getting themselves into the Big Dance this past March.
By many measures Diebler is the least-experienced and least-successful head coach among the Big Ten schools. This isn’t to say that the future might not be bright for him with these Buckeyes, but it’s also fair to wonder just how hot his seat is heading into next year. Ohio State was a program making Final Four’s and winning Big Ten titles under Thad Matta and they desperately want to return to that pace.
Add us as a preferred source on Google