COLUMBUS, Ohio – Head coach Chris Holtmann told the local media that he wanted to have a replacement on his coaching staff in place by the end of the month and according to published reports, he is ahead of that timetable with the rumored hiring of former Ohio State video coordinator and Vanderbilt assistant coach Jake Diebler.

This news was first reported by Jeff Goodman of Stadium. This report has been confirmed by several other outlets. BuckeyeGrove.com is working to currently verify this report independently.

Holtmann needed to fill a vacancy left by the departure of Mike Schrage, who left the program when he was named the head coach at Elon.

Diebler is the brother of former Ohio State player Jon Dielber and Jake served on the Ohio State coaching staff for three years as the video coordinator from 2013-2016 under Thad Matta. Diebler left for the 2016 season where he served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt under Bryce Drew. Drew and his staff were let go after the 2018-19 season.

There is no timeline on when an official hire will be announced as there are several HR hurdles that need to be cleared before any hire can be announced.

Diebler’s exact duties are yet to be determined as well. Assistant coach Ryan Pedon works closely with the Ohio State offense while Terry Johnson works with the defense. Schrage was a skilled recruiter and it is to be expected that the Buckeyes will be looking to Diebler to put emphasis on that front as part of the staff.

We will have more on this breaking news as more information becomes available.