Report: Indiana targeting West Virginia coach Darian DeVries as next head coach

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Indiana is “targeting” West Virginia‘s Darian DeVries to be their next head coach. DeVries was set to participate in the NCAA Tournament with the Mountaineers but was surprisingly left out on Selection Sunday.

Two days later, he might be heading to Bloomington to take over one of college basketball’s most historic programs. On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed DeVries is a top targeting, making to be a big hire for Indiana after moving on from Mike Woodson after a Big Ten Tournament exit.

“Sources: Indiana is targeting West Virginia coach Darian DeVries to be the next coach, sources tell me and@jeffborzello,” Thamel said via X. “DeVries spent one year at WVU, where he went 19-13 and got snubbed from NCAA Tournament. He led Drake to three NCAA tournaments in four years.”

As Thamel mentioned, this would be the third job in as many years for DeVries. Success at Drake led him to get his first-ever power conference job at West Virginia. Oh so close to making the NCAA Tournament, Indiana wants DeVries to make another move and take over their program.

With no postseason to play in, the process of hiring DeVries can move along. Indiana missed the NCAA Tournament barely too and will not participate in the NIT.

More on Darian DeVries, potential Indiana head coach

DeVries’s first season at West Virginia ended in heartbreaking fashion after the Mountaineers were controversially left out of the 68-team 2025 NCAA Tournament field on Selection Sunday.

DeVries has a 169-68 (.713) career record through seven seasons as a collegiate coach with Drake and WVU. That resumé includes winning three Missouri Valley Conference titles and, with those, making three appearances in the NCAA Tournament with the Bulldogs. He would have added a fourth total and first at West Virginia this weekend but, again, the selection committee left the Mountaineers out of the field as the First Team Out. In their place as the Last Team In was North Carolina, which was a surprise to those in the Big 12 after the Mountaineers went 19-13 (10-10 B12) this past season.

With that, DeVries could now have this as his one and only season there if he were to take the job at Indiana. That’s with Indiana, who also just missed the tournament right behind West Virginia as the Second Team Out, in search of a new coach after Woodson revealed plans to step down in February. Since then, all kinds of names have been connected to it the past month and a half with DeVries being the latest one involved.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report