Jake Diebler contract: Exploring new Ohio State HC's salary structure, career earnings and more

Sometimes, hiring from within is the best thing to do, and that is what the Ohio State Buckeyes decided as they inked interim coach Jake Diebler to a five-year contract to drop the interim title on Sunday. He has been with the program for the previous three seasons as an associate head coach and took over the team when Chris Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14.

The Buckeyes ended the season strong as Diebler went 6-2 as the interim coach to give Ohio State (20-13) a spark.

Diebler's five-year contract will pay him a base salary of $2.5 million per year. He will also earn $25,000 for a Big Ten title and $50,000 for the Big Ten Tournament crown, apart from $25,000 for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, $50,000 for making the Sweet 16, $75,000 for the Elite Eight and $100,000 for the Final Four.

The incentives don't end there. He will earn $250,000 for a national championship win (foregoing the Final Four incentive) and $50,000 if he is named the Big Ten or National Coach of the Year.

He is also set to earn bonuses based on the team's classroom performance. He will get $50,000 if the team's cumulative GPA is between 3.0 and 3.4. This rises to $100,000 for a GPA of more than 3.5.

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork released a statement explaining why he promoted Diebler:

"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach. Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio.

"As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course."

Diebler has climbed the ranks for the Buckeyes as he spent three seasons as a video coordinator before leaving to join Vanderbilt as an assistant. He returned as an assistant coach for Ohio State before the 2019-2020 season and was promoted to associate head coach before the 2021-22 season.

"It's a blessing and a privilege to serve this program, and I'm excited for this opportunity," Diebler said in a statement. "I'd like to thank Ross Bjork and President (Ted) Carter for believing in me and the vision that I have moving forward. Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family.

"I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can."

How much has Jake Diebler made in his career?

While the information about how much Jake Diebler has made in his career has not been made public, he secured a salary bump ahead of the 2022 college basketball season from $340,000 to $500,000. It is estimated that he has made somewhere between $1-2 million throughout his college basketball experience.