The 2025-26 men’s basketball season is over, and with it, Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament drought.
Although it wasn’t an extended stay, the Buckeyes returned to March Madness for the first time since the 2021-22 season. In his second year as head coach, Jake Diebler helped guide the Buckeyes to a 21-13 overall record and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
There, the Buckeyes took a 66-64 first-round loss to No. 9 seed TCU in Greenville, South Carolina, and now OSU enters the offseason hoping for a lengthier March Madness run in 2027.
Getting to the NCAA Tournament also resulted in a financial bump for Diebler and his coaching staff. Here’s how much the Ohio State coaches received in bonuses for participating in March Madness, according to copies of their contracts obtained by The Dispatch through a public-records request.
How much does Jake Diebler make?
The five-year contract Diebler signed in 2024 pays him an annual base salary of $800,000, which is part of a $2.5 million package once various other payments and benefits are included.
What did Jake Diebler make for reaching the NCAA Tournament?
Diebler and his coaching staff make extra for reaching certain performance benchmarks. For reaching the NCAA Tournament, Diebler was paid a $25,000 bonus.
That’s the same bonus he would earn for winning at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. If the Buckeyes were to win the Big Ten Tournament, Diebler would earn a $50,000 bonus.
Should the Buckeyes make a run in the NCAA Tournament, Diebler would be up for escalating raises. Reaching the Sweet 16 would net a $50,000 bonus, the Elite Eight a $75,000 bonus, the Final Four a $100,000 bonus and a national title would result in a $250,000 bonus.
How much did Ohio State’s assistants make for reaching the NCAA Tournament?
All five assistant coaches on Diebler’s staff for the 2025-26 season were due to earn 4.25% bonuses for reaching the NCAA Tournament. That equates to the following extra payouts, with base salary listed in parentheses:
Joel Justus ($425,000): $18,062.50
Jamall Walker ($400,000): $17,000
Dave Dickerson ($295,000): $12,537.50
Brian Walsh ($275,000): $11,687.50
Luke Simons ($185,000): $7,862.50
That adds up to a total of $67,150 paid out in bonuses to Ohio State’s assistant coaches for reaching the NCAA Tournament. Adding Diebler’s bonus to that mix, the final total is $92,150.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What bonus did Jake Diebler get for Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament game?
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
