DePaul hires former Ohio State coach Holtmann

Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has been named the new head coach at DePaul, the school announced on Thursday.

Holtmann has agreed to a six-year deal, sources told ESPN.

DePaul presented a strong offer of support and valued Holtmann’s track record as a high-end Big East coach from his time at Butler.

“Chris’ track record as a head coach of high-level programs, demonstrated commitment to excellence on and off the court, and NCAA postseason experience made him the perfect hire for DePaul,” AD DeWayne Peevy said in a statement. “Chris unmistakably shares our values and our vision for DePaul men’s basketball, recognizes our commitment to the resources required to compete at a high level, and is eager to return our program to national prominence.”

Holtmann was fired by Ohio State last month despite going to four straight NCAA tournaments to begin his tenure in Columbus.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at DePaul,” Holtmann said in a statement. “During this process, I was extremely impressed with the commitment, eagerness and vision of DeWayne Peevy and President Manuel to build a successful Big East basketball program.”

Holtmann led the Buckeyes to a 25-9 (15-3 in the Big Ten) record in Year 1 and won an NCAA tournament game in each of his first two seasons. They earned a 2-seed in the 2021 NCAA tournament, but suffered a first-round upset to 15-seed Oral Roberts, before advancing to the second round in 2022.

After finishing 16-19 last season, Ohio State opted to move on from Holtmann in late January following a 4-10 start to Big Ten play.

Prior to replacing Thad Matta at Ohio State, Holtmann led Butler to three straight NCAA tournaments, winning at least one tournament game each season and making a Sweet 16 run in 2017.

Holtmann started his coaching career as an assistant at Division III Geneva College and moved up the ladder before taking over as the head coach at Gardner-Webb. He took the Runnin’ Bulldogs from 11 wins in Year 1 to a second-place Big South finish in his third season, then left to join Butler’s staff as an assistant under Brandon Miller. When Miller took a leave of absence, Holtmann was promoted to interim head coach and was given the permanent job after just three months.

At DePaul, he will replace Tony Stubblefield, who was fired in January after a 3-15 start to the season. Stubblefield went 25-39 in his first two seasons.

DePaul hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2004 and hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 1987.