Christoph Tilly will not be returning to Ohio State for a fifth year.
On Sept. 14, the former Buckeye who played the 2025-26 season at Ohio State signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City that will give him a spot with the Thunder as training camp opens in a few weeks. It also officially closes the door on any lingering potential that he could return to the Buckeyes for the 2026-27 season, his agent Milan Nikolic confirmed to The Dispatch.
When Ohio State lost to TCU in the NCAA Tournament, it looked to have ended Tilly's career without any question. With three years at Santa Clara and one at Ohio State under his belt, Tilly was out of eligibility. Still, he entered his name into the transfer portal to keep his options open should players
be somehow granted a fifth year of eligibility.
When the NCAA approved a measure to give all five years of eligibility to all players from the 2023 class and beyond, it led to lawsuits from members of the 2022 class seeking inclusion in the new rule. As various appeals at the state and federal levels have seen varied results, Tilly remained a potential late-calendar addition for Ohio State even after he played for Oklahoma City during the NBA's summer league but did not sign a contract.
Now, any chances of a return to Ohio State are gone as he prepares to battle for a spot with the Thunder. He Tilly played anywhere collegiately in 2026-27, it would have been with the Buckeyes.
The decision also means that Ohio State's roster is set with 15 players after the addition of international forward Lee Aaliya.
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social, on Instagram at @cdadamjardyor on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Christoph Tilly signs with Oklahoma City, will not return to Ohio State
