Jeff Goodman implores Indiana to hire TJ Otzelberger after Dusty May extension at Michigan

Friday afternoon, Dusty May’s name effectively came off the board in Indiana’s coaching search. The Hoosiers will be looking for a replacement for Mike Woodson after he resigns at season’s end.

With May and Brad Stevens as two names officially out for the IU position, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman offered a new name he thinks the Hoosiers should target. He called on Indiana to hire Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger.

As he went through Indiana’s process, Goodman noted Stevens and May are off the board. He also dismissed Ole Miss coach Chris Beard as a serious candidate because of “baggage” stemming from his departure from Texas. But Otzelberger, Goodman argued, should be IU’s top target to replace Woodson for multiple reasons.

“The guy, to me, right now, it’s easy. It’s easy. That’s Iowa State’s TJ Otzelberger,” Goodman said on After Dark. “Absolutely fits. Look at what he’s done there. They’ve been in the tournament every year since he took over. He’s had a lot of head coaching experience. He’s young enough that he can be there for 10, 12 years, he’s got a culture there.

“They defend. They’re better offensively. They went to the Sweet Sixteen last year. They might be able to go to the Final Four this year if they get healthy. The other part, guys? His buyout was really high a year ago. He renegotiated – $4 million right now. Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Otzelberger took over at Iowa State in 2021 and has a 91-40 overall record after leaving UNLV. He also took the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three years at the helm after the program after two rough seasons at the end of the Steve Prohm era.

When it comes to the IU opening, though, Goodman said it’s worth wondering if Otzelberger would even want the position. The Hoosiers have plenty of history and face high expectations from fans. Regarding a fit, though, Goodman thinks it’d be a perfect match.

“The big question is, would TJ Otzelberger want that job? That’s a big question,” Goodman said. “To me, it should be easy that Scott Dolson should want TJ Otzelberger. He checks every box. I guess the only box that he might not check is, again, does he want to be in the fishbowl? There’s other coaches that probably enjoy the limelight in the fishbowl more than TJ Otzelberger.

“But man, he is a culture guy who works his ass off, who develops players, who can evaluate players. And by the way, he’s done it with a low, low payroll, and he’s retained – think about all the guys that could’ve went elsewhere after last year. All could’ve went elsewhere for more money. They decided to stick around with TJ Otzelberger.”