Chris Holtmann did not need long to find a new head coaching job after being fired by the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Holtmann has agreed to become the new head coach at DePaul, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Holtmann will sign a six-year deal with the perennial Big East also-rans, who fired Tony Stubblefield in January.
Holtmann has agreed to a 6-year deal, per a source. DePaul presented a strong offer of support and valued his track record as a high-end Big East coach. https://t.co/LprDxxrcZ1
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 14, 2024
On the surface, this is a pretty solid hire for a moribund DePaul program that has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2004. The Blue Demons have had just three winning seasons since then and bottomed out at 3-29 this season, including a winless season in Big East play. To say Holtmann has a big job on his hands would be an understatement.
Though the Buckeyes did tail off toward the end of his tenure, Holtmann has shown himself to be consistently capable of leading teams to the NCAA Tournament. He did it in each of his three seasons at Butler and each of his first five years at Ohio State, excepting the canceled 2020 postseason. For DePaul, that kind of resume would represent a massive success.
The Buckeyes fired Holtmann in February in what was a fairly expensive move. He wound up being out of a job for only a month.
