Gene Smith not making decision on Chris Holtmann's future right now

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has lost 14 consecutive “true” road games dating back to last season; five of its last six games this season, including back-to-back, double-digit defeats; and is at serious risk of sliding into a second missed NCAA Tournament in as many years.

But longtime, and outgoing, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith isn’t making a decision on head coach Chris Holtmann’s future right now, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

“We have a lot of this season left to play, and we have coaches and players that are focused on winning every day,” Smith told the Dispatch. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.”

Ohio State is 13-7 but only 3-6 in the Big Ten, which ties the Buckeyes for 11th in the league standings.

“When you lose by double figures in two games and lose by 25 tonight on the road, it’s certainly got to be a real situation that is gonna grab your attention,” Holtmann said after Ohio State lost, 83-58, Saturday night at Northwestern. “You got to figure out why that’s the case, what we can do as coaches and players to be much better. And that’s what we’re going to be spending 24/7 in the next few days, figuring out what we need to do to be much better.”

Holtmann added postgame: “I believe it’s fixable. And it’s our job to fix it. I definitely think it’s fixable. We’re gonna work like hell to find a way to fix it and certainly be better than what we were tonight.”

Ohio State finds itself in a similar situation as last season when it started the season strong, even ranking in the AP Top 25 four weeks between Nov. 28 and Jan. 2. Then the Buckeyes dropped 14-of-15 games. Although they made a mini March push, most notably with a four-game run in the Big Ten Tournament, they still finished 2022-23 with the program’s first losing record since 2003-04.

This time around, Ohio State started the season 12-2 and was in the receiving votes section of the AP Poll. Now, however, the Buckeyes are again in free fall, and they’re in the thick of their toughest part of their schedule.

Holtmann is in his seventh year as Ohio State’s head coach. He’s 26-29 in January since taking over for Thad Matta as head coach in 2017-18. Take away Holtmann’s first year on the job, and his January record plummets to 18-28.

What he’s done, or hasn’t done, in March is a concern, too. While Holtmann led Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament the four years it was played from 2018-22, his Buckeyes teams never made it past the Round of 32. Holtmann is still searching for his first Sweet Sixteen appearance at Ohio State after Matta coached the program to five of those during his 13-year run.

Smith, who is retiring at the end of June, signed Holtmann to an extension through the 2027-28 season in May 2022. If Holtmann’s contract is terminated before its expiration, he’ll be owed his full remaining salary. Ohio State moving on from Holtmann at this point would result in approximately a $14 million buyout, according to the Dispatch.

Holtmann was asked about his extension during last year’s spiral and said that he and Smith shared “an understanding” prior to the 2022-23 season about how they wanted to shape the roster going forward.

Recruiting success and player development seemed to play a big part in Smith extending Holtmann’s original eight-year contract. He’s signed back-to-back classes that clocked out No. 8 in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s also helped four Ohio State players hear their names called in the NBA Draft — Keita Bates-Diop (2018), E.J. Liddell (2022), Malaki Branham (2022) and Brice Sensabaugh (2023) — including three in the last two years.

Except, the closest Ohio State has come to winning a championship during Holtmann’s seven years is when the Buckeyes finished as Big Ten Tournament runner-ups in 2020-21. That season, of course, ended with Ohio State’s infamous loss to 15th-seeded Cinderella Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Smith’s final day as Ohio State AD will be June 30, 2024. Then Ross Bjork — Texas A&M’s AD since 2019 — will take over. Bjork will return to Columbus in March to begin learning under Smith, but Smith “will still be the boss,” as university president Ted Carter said earlier this month.

“Had a great conversation,” Holtmann said of Bjork last week. “We got an introductory, just had a really good conversation. I heard really good things about his ability for fundraising and NIL in this new space. Talked to some industry people who have all said really positive things. So, looking forward to it.”

Ohio State’s next chance to get back on track is Tuesday night against No. 10 Illinois.