The Ohio State Buckeyes’ season on the court has been a complete disaster. The Buckeyes were predicted to contend for a berth in the NCAA Tournament and a position close to the top of the Big 10 standings. However, they have already dropped eight of their last nine games and have a dismal 3-9 conference record, placing them barely above Michigan in the rankings.

In his remarks last week, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith stated he would wait to decide Holtmann’s future until the end of the current campaign.

Nevertheless, this fan base grows increasingly dissatisfied with each loss, and unless there is a miraculous comeback, it appears likely that this team will attempt to hire a new coach in the offseason.

Who else might they aim for? The five individuals listed below—four of whom are head coaches at the moment—have the credentials and ties to the Midwest that make them competitive choices for Smith and the department to think about replacing Holtmann should the need arise.

Charleston, which finished the previous season with 30 wins and a trip to the NCAA Tournament but was ultimately defeated by San Diego State, the runner-up, is now led by Kelsey.

As a head coach, Kelsey has won more than 71% of his games at Winthrop and Charleston, where he has a 67.4% winning percentage. Kelsey attended Xavier University and was born in Cincinnati. He was Wake Forest’s coach for a while.

The 48-year-old is the ideal person to take over and run this program for many years to come, having roots in Ohio and the Midwest and connections in the recruiting hotbeds of North and South Carolina.

Wes Miller is expected to be in great demand throughout the offseason. Before taking a job at Cincinnati in 2021, the 40-year-old converted a dismal UNC-Greensboro program into a 20+ game winner in each of his final five seasons. He also made two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

The Bearcats are performing better than anticipated in their first season in the Big 12, and any Power-6 school seeking to hire a new head coach in the offseason is likely to give him a call.

Luckily for Ohio State, Miller’s present residence in Ohio may help them in the hiring process. Although Miller is a native of North Carolina with strong ties to Wake Forest and UNC, he has spent the last five years establishing himself in the Midwest, and the Buckeyes may be able to persuade him to come to Columbus and take over this esteemed team.

Although Wade has some baggage—he was fired from LSU and will miss 10 games at McNeese to begin the 2023–24 season—he is unquestionably a skilled basketball coach who has succeeded at every place he has been head coach.

Wade guided LSU to an incredible 25-5 season and three consecutive trips to the Big Dance, led VCU to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, and now has McNeese sitting nice with a 20-3 record and a commanding lead in the Southland Conference.

Is there a risk? Yes, but there is also an upside: a young coach with winning experience at all levels who will probably be signed this offseason, even with a two-year show-cause clause that runs until 2024–2025.

Drake, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, has been among the top mid-major teams in the nation for the past five years. With his team off to a scorching start this season, Darian DeVries will be in high demand as a coach.

DeVries is an experienced head coach, recruiter, and former assistant coach at Creighton under Dana Altman and Greg McDermott. His youth may also make him a long-term resident of Columbus.

DeVries played at Northern Iowa and was an assistant coach under both Dana Altman and Greg McDermott at Creighton.

Tucker, DeVries’ son, who is currently averaging 20.5 points per game while playing for his dad at Drake, is a major factor in his success.

Would head coach DeVries hold off until his junior son graduates? Or is Tucker’s talent a package deal for the Buckeyes, who could really need his kind of player?

Mack had some problems while at Louisville, but given how disastrous Kenny Payne’s tenure has been, it’s difficult to believe the Cardinals wouldn’t be happy to have him back.

Mack has strong ties to the Midwest and Ohio. Born in Cleveland, he attended Evansville and Xavier as a player and afterwards worked as Sean Miller’s assistant coach at Xavier. In 2009, he took over as head coach and guided the team to eight NCAA Tournament berths in nine seasons.

Although his time at Louisville ended badly, he had a great deal of success there as well. He may be open to returning to coaching after taking a year off, and the Buckeyes could do much worse than take a chance on a coach with his background and ties to Ohio.