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Jake Diebler plans to fill final scholarship for Ohio State

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•06/10/24•

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Jake Diebler by Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler walks onto the Schottenstein Center court before a first-round NIT game against Cornell. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Jake Diebler took over midseason at Ohio State and wound up coaching himself into the full-time job. Chris Holtmann was not getting the job done for the Buckeyes but some life was brought back into the program when Diebler took over. He now gets an opportunity to coach for a full season, hoping to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Figuring out the roster was Diebler’s first priority this season, a job not yet done. There is still one scholarship for Ohio State to fill and Diebler plans to have somebody before the regular season begins. He claims to still be working on finding the right person but did not want to give too much away.

“The plans are to fill it,” Diebler said. “I can’t get into too much detail on that right now. But the plans are, we’re trying to fill that. Being real intentional about that.”

With how vague Diebler was with his answer, it’s anyone’s guess as to the direction Ohio State goes. Maybe they are able to snag a high school player worth developing for future years. Or maybe there is somebody still in the NCAA transfer portal the Buckeyes want to take a shot on.

Ohio State has six new players entering the program. Two come from the recruiting ranks while four are via the transfer portal. All of the previous college players were a part of NCAA tournament teams from a season ago, bringing a nice piece of experience to the Buckeyes in what will be Diebler’s first true go-round.

Meechie Johnson is back home, returning to Ohio State after previously leaving for South Carolina. Aaron Bradshaw was another big-name acquisition from Kentucky, feasting off the roster turnover in Lexington after John Calipari left. Duke‘s Sean Stewart and Micah Parrish out of San Diego State round out Diebler’s first portal class — for now.

As of now, On3’s James Fletcher does not have Ohio State making the NCAA Tournament. He lists them under the ‘First Four Out’ category in his latest 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracketology projections, being one spot away from being in the field.

With some quality nonconference games on the schedule and competing in the Big Ten, the path to being an at-large team is always open. Diebler is certainly hoping to compete for some kind of championship but getting into the big dance has to be a big goal of his.