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Report: Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has agreed to become the next head coach of DePaul
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller / USA TODAY NETWORK
Holtmann went 137-86 at Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament four times in six chances.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann’s time away from the game didn’t even last through the end of the Buckeyes’ season, as he has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons.
It was reported by multiple outlets on Thursday morning — Field of 68, The Columbus Dispatch, and Eleven Warriors, to name a few — that DePaul was focusing their coaching search on one candidate, Holtmann. By late afternoon, it was reported by Jeff Goodman that DePaul had officially hired Holtmann.
DePaul has been the worst team in the Big East since moving from Conference USA in 2005, winning a total of 98 conference games in 18 seasons — an average of five conference wins per year.
DePaul has finished bottom two in the Big East in 12 of the 18 seasons it has been in the conference. This past season, the Blue Demons went 3-29 overall and 0-20 in the Big East. Like Holtmann, DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield was fired mid-season. The program has not had a winning record in the Big East since 2007.
The move to DePaul will be a return to the Big East for Holtmann, who was the head coach at Butler from 2014 to 2017. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, including making it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2017.
He did not, however, make it to the Sweet Sixteen as head coach of the Buckeyes. Holtmann, 52, took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament four times, and would’ve a fifth time as well if the 2020 tournament was not canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio State won their first round game three of those four trips, and was upset by 15-seed Oral Roberts in the other. However, Holtmann’s Buckeyes never made it to the second weekend.
Holtmann had an overall record of 137-86 at Ohio State in seven seasons, but was a combined 30-30 his last two seasons, including 9-25 in Big Ten play. On the morning of February 14, just 12 hours after losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, outgoing athletic director Gene Smith fired Holtmann with six games remaining in the season.
Ohio State is currently paying Holtmann a $12.5-million buyout, but there is language in Holtmann’s original contract that covered the scenario where he takes a new job:
“If Coach obtains any other employment or is engaged to provide service (regardless of whether the employment or engagement constitutes a Comparable Position), then the Post-Termination Payments shall be reduced by Coach’s total compensation from all sources directly related to such position(s) (including, without limitation, salary, deferred compensation, signing bonuses or other compensation income, except not including the employee benefits costs associated with such position(s)) (the “Mitigation Compensation”). Each monthly Post-Termination Payment that would otherwise be payable under Section 5.2.1(a) or {00334005-1} 18 Section 5.2.1(b) that is payable during the time that Coach has such position(s) shall be reduced by the gross amount of the monthly Mitigation Compensation.”
In essence (based on our best, non-expert, non-legal interpretation), Ohio State could reduce the buyout amount by the total amount of Holtmann’s contract with his new employer. So if Holtmann (hypothetically) signs a 4-year, $8-million contract with DePaul, Ohio State would owe him the difference between that and his $12.5-million — $4.5-million.
Documentation regarding Holtmann’s extension, which was signed in August 2022, was not released publicly. Accordingly, there is no known change to his buyout terms from the original contract, signed in 2017.
Interim head coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 5-1 record since Holtmann’s firing, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and drawing attention as a head coaching candidate for mid-major openings this spring. Many fans want to see Diebler hired for the full-time position after galvanizing the team and staff in the middle of what looked like a lost season, but the expectation is that new athletic director Ross Bjork will hire someone externally.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller / USA TODAY NETWORK
Holtmann went 137-86 at Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament four times in six chances.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann’s time away from the game didn’t even last through the end of the Buckeyes’ season, as he has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons.
It was reported by multiple outlets on Thursday morning — Field of 68, The Columbus Dispatch, and Eleven Warriors, to name a few — that DePaul was focusing their coaching search on one candidate, Holtmann. By late afternoon, it was reported by Jeff Goodman that DePaul had officially hired Holtmann.
DePaul has been the worst team in the Big East since moving from Conference USA in 2005, winning a total of 98 conference games in 18 seasons — an average of five conference wins per year.
DePaul has finished bottom two in the Big East in 12 of the 18 seasons it has been in the conference. This past season, the Blue Demons went 3-29 overall and 0-20 in the Big East. Like Holtmann, DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield was fired mid-season. The program has not had a winning record in the Big East since 2007.
The move to DePaul will be a return to the Big East for Holtmann, who was the head coach at Butler from 2014 to 2017. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, including making it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2017.
He did not, however, make it to the Sweet Sixteen as head coach of the Buckeyes. Holtmann, 52, took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament four times, and would’ve a fifth time as well if the 2020 tournament was not canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio State won their first round game three of those four trips, and was upset by 15-seed Oral Roberts in the other. However, Holtmann’s Buckeyes never made it to the second weekend.
Holtmann had an overall record of 137-86 at Ohio State in seven seasons, but was a combined 30-30 his last two seasons, including 9-25 in Big Ten play. On the morning of February 14, just 12 hours after losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, outgoing athletic director Gene Smith fired Holtmann with six games remaining in the season.
Ohio State is currently paying Holtmann a $12.5-million buyout, but there is language in Holtmann’s original contract that covered the scenario where he takes a new job:
“If Coach obtains any other employment or is engaged to provide service (regardless of whether the employment or engagement constitutes a Comparable Position), then the Post-Termination Payments shall be reduced by Coach’s total compensation from all sources directly related to such position(s) (including, without limitation, salary, deferred compensation, signing bonuses or other compensation income, except not including the employee benefits costs associated with such position(s)) (the “Mitigation Compensation”). Each monthly Post-Termination Payment that would otherwise be payable under Section 5.2.1(a) or {00334005-1} 18 Section 5.2.1(b) that is payable during the time that Coach has such position(s) shall be reduced by the gross amount of the monthly Mitigation Compensation.”
In essence (based on our best, non-expert, non-legal interpretation), Ohio State could reduce the buyout amount by the total amount of Holtmann’s contract with his new employer. So if Holtmann (hypothetically) signs a 4-year, $8-million contract with DePaul, Ohio State would owe him the difference between that and his $12.5-million — $4.5-million.
Documentation regarding Holtmann’s extension, which was signed in August 2022, was not released publicly. Accordingly, there is no known change to his buyout terms from the original contract, signed in 2017.
Interim head coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 5-1 record since Holtmann’s firing, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and drawing attention as a head coaching candidate for mid-major openings this spring. Many fans want to see Diebler hired for the full-time position after galvanizing the team and staff in the middle of what looked like a lost season, but the expectation is that new athletic director Ross Bjork will hire someone externally.
Continue reading...