At the beginning of December, Ohio football coach Brian Smith was placed on indefinite leave, with reports later revealing that Smith was fired due to “serious professional misconduct” after a relationship with an undergrad student.
As the Ohio football team prepared for the Frisco Bowl, it named defensive coordinator John Hauser as the interim coach, and he also emerged as a potential long-term option for the program.
On Friday, just a few days after Ohio's 17-10 Frisco Bowl win over UNLV, the Ohio football program officially named Hauser as the new head coach going forward.
The Ohio football program released a statement with the news.
“John Hauser has been promoted to head football coach, Ohio University Director of Athletics Slade Larscheid announced Friday (Dec. 26). Hauser is the 31st head coach in program history.”
Hauser sent a message of gratitude in the statement following the news.
“I am grateful to President Lori Gonzalez and Director of Athletics Slade Larscheid for the opportunity to lead this team and for their belief in what we can accomplish together. I'd like to thank our players, alumni and fans for the support they have shown this program and for the pride they bring to Ohio University,” Hauser said. “This is a special place for my family and me, and we are proud to be part of a community that cares so deeply about Ohio University and its football program. I look forward to hitting the ground running with the team as we look to build on the program's tradition of success in 2026 and beyond.”
Hauser has been a college assistant since 2003, and he has stops at each of Wayne State, Northern Illinois, The Citadel and Miami (Ohio) before coming to the Bobcats. Now, this will be his first college head coaching job, and a well-deserved one for Hauser.
