Report: West Virginia's Darian DeVries emerges as a top candidate in Indiana coaching search

Darian DeVries just had his first season at West Virginia end in heartbreaking fashion as the Mountaineers were not selected to be in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Now, that could apparently be his lone finish as head coach in Morgantown.

Per Jeff Goodman at ‘The Field of 68’, DeVries has emerged as the leading candidate in the coaching search at Indiana. Two others are reportedly still contending for it in Drake’s Ben McCollum as well as a ‘mystery candidate’ but, per his sources, “DeVries could wind up being the guy” for the Hoosiers.

“West Virginia’s Darian DeVries has emerged as one of – if not the top candidate for the Indiana job – source told @TheFieldOf68,” Goodman tweeted on Tuesday. “I’m told by sources that nothing is done yet, but that DeVries could wind up being the guy. Drake’s Ben McCollum and a third “mystery” candidate still in the mix as well, per source.”

Ironically enough, this is the second straight offseason where the coaching carousel connected DeVries and McCollum. DeVries left Drake for West Virginia a year ago after six seasons with the Bulldogs with McCollum taking his place in what’s now been his own very successful debut as a head coach. That led to McCollum having his name out as a leading one in this search per reporting last week also from Goodman.

DeVries has posted a 169-68 (.713) record through seven seasons as a collegiate coach with Drake and WVU. That resumé includes winning three conference titles in the Missouri Valley Conference 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 them out of the field as the First Team Out behind the Last Team In with North Carolina despite most expecting them to make it as the Mountaineers were 19-13 (10-10) out of the Big 12.

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 with Mike Woodson having planned to step down at his alma mater since the start of 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.

This would be an unfortunate end to this tenure for West Virginia as it would mean looking for their fourth coach in as many seasons after very much feeling this one should have led them into March Madness. For DeVries, though, it’d be quite the step for him in being the next choice to try to bring back the basketball program at Indiana.