Sports
Ohio University Football drops the interim tag and names John Hauser it next head coach
By: WOUB News Team
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — John Hauser has been named Ohio University Football’s 31st head coach in program history.
“We are thrilled to announce John Hauser as our next head football coach,” Athletic Director Slade Larscheid wrote in a press release Friday. “John is committed to developing our team while continuing to build on the strong foundation.”
Hauser joined Ohio in 2022 as the safeties coach after serving as the co-defensive coordinator for Miami (Ohio) for eight seasons. He was previously promoted to defensive passing game coordinator in 2023 and defensive coordinator before the 2024 season. And he has served as the team’s associate head coach since the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl.
He was named interim head coach on Dec. 1 after previous Head Coach Brian Smith was placed on leave and subsequently fired on Dec. 17 “for cause.” The university cited Smith’s alleged extramarital affairs, one with an undergraduate student, and violation of the university’s policy for alcohol use.
Hauser led the Bobcats to their seventh-straight bowl win with a 17-10 victory over the UNLV Rebels in the 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23.
This is a breaking story, more information will be added if and when it comes in.