For college basketball coaches pre-2021, the months immediately following the end of the season allowed them a little time to catch their breath. High school recruiting picks up — save for a specific one-week dead period in early April — but generally speaking, your roster for the following season was set, and preparation for next year will kick back up in May or early June.
Those days are long gone.
With immediate eligibility for transfers instituted in 2021 and the cap on number of transfers (per
player) removed in 2024, the weeks immediately following the NCAA Tournament have now become an all-out free agency blitz to pursue available players, fill gaps, and retain your most important pieces before other teams lure them away with promises of money or bigger roles.
Ohio State is no exception. After getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last week, Jake Diebler and his staff are already hard at work trying to A) ensure Ohio State’s most talented players remain in Columbus and B) scout, contact, and recruit players who could help the Buckeyes take another step forward next season.
The transfer portal officially “opens” on April 7, which means players cannot officially put their name in or commit to new programs until then. However, that doesn’t mean players can’t announce that they plan on transferring, and it doesn’t mean that teams aren’t actively reaching out to players to gauge interest — even if they have not entered their name into the portal.
As of Thursday night, no Ohio State players who have eligibility to return next season had made any announcement implying that they were not returning. However, in this new age of college basketball, we can assume the Buckeyes will be losing at least a player or two. Additionally, not a single player confirmed they would be returning to the team next season when asked in the locker room after the Buckeyes’ 66-64 loss to TCU on March 19.
With that said, and knowing which players do not have eligibility and therefore won’t return, here are Ohio State’s three biggest priorities that need addressed in the transfer portal this summer:
Starting point guard
This is a position Ohio State hasn’t had to really think about for the past four years, but suddenly there’s a Bruce Thornton-sized hole in the starting lineup with no heir apparent at point guard on the current roster.
The Buckeyes have reportedly been planning on picking up a transfer point guard since last fall, so the staff should know at this point what type of player they want to supplement the roster and fill this position. What they still don’t know is who will be available over the coming weeks to potentially add, with the transfer portal opening on April 7 and closing two weeks later on April 21 — which means candidates to become Ohio State’s next point guard could potentially be adding their names to that growing list for the next three to four weeks.
Timing is crucial in the spring — should Ohio State be aggressive and go after the first guard available that they think will fit the team, knowing that additional, possibly better players could enter the portal a week later? Or do they wait a week or two, to make sure not to miss out on anyone?
Last spring, Michigan had locked up commitments from both Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. within two weeks of the transfer portal opening. Both of those guys went on to become All-Big Ten honorees, with Lendeborg winning Big Ten Player of the Year. The price for the remaining “elite” players in the portal rises later in the spring when other options go elsewhere, so it may behoove Ohio State to strike early this year, rather than wait.
The Buckeyes don’t need to bring in a guard who will match Thornton’s team-leading 19.9 points per game or 12.6 field goal attempts per game. Assuming that John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum are back, their roles in the offense will likely increase in Thornton’s absence. Anthony Thompson, who at this moment looks like Ohio State’s starting small forward, should take up as many shot attempts — if not more — than Devin Royal did this past season (9.9 FGA per game) at the same position. And that doesn’t even include Royal himself, who may be the odd man out in the starting lineup in the fall, but would still have a substantial role off the bench if he was to return and accept that role.
What Diebler and his staff need to find is an experienced lead guard who can give the Buckeyes 30 or so minutes per game without needing to lead the team in shots. With all of the names mentioned around him, there will be plenty of mouths to feed. But a guard who can play heavy minutes, limit turnovers, and chip in 10 or so points per game? That’s the ticket.
Ohio State could also kick around the idea of moving Mobley from shooting guard to point guard this summer, but he’s generally been more successful scoring off the ball. Mobley is an elite catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, and at his size does tend to force himself into difficult, contested shots near the basket when he tries to drive. Right now it looks Ohio State looks content leaving him where he is at shooting guard.
A Co-Starter at Center
Not quite as important as adding a floor general — but still important — is bringing in a capable center who can tag in for Josh Ojianwuna or even push him for the starting spot this summer. If Ohio State is going to break the bank at a position, I don’t think it’ll be here, but they should at least bring someone in who can provide 15-20 minutes per game if needed.
Ojianwuna is the assumed starter seven months out, but by the time the season rolls around, it will have been 21 months since he last played. Listed at 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds on Ohio State’s roster, Ojianwuna shot a ridiculous 77.4% during the 2024-25 season for Baylor before sustaining that knee injury in February 2025.
Aside from Ojianwuna’s injury history, he also has never averaged more than 24 minutes per game in a season, or taken more than nine shots in a game….ever. For those reasons, it would make a lot of sense to bring in a center who could be a strong backup behind Ojianwuna, but also push for the starting spot in the summer.
Ivan Njegovan has not indicated either way whether or not he will return to Ohio State, but did tell the Columbus Dispatch after the TCU loss that he “loves it” at Ohio State and feels “very at home” with the program.
The 7-foot-2, 260-pounder from Croatia saw his minutes per game more than double from his freshman to sophomore season, from 5.6 to 11.4. He played big minutes in Ohio State’s wins over Purdue and Wisconsin this season, grabbing six rebounds in each of those two games that the Buckeyes desperately needed to win to make the NCAA Tournament.
However, Njegovan still struggles defensively at times and becomes a big target when teams run a lineup that doesn’t start a traditional center. Teams like Purdue, Iowa, and Indiana repeatedly switched assignments to get small, quicker guards matched up with Njegovan, which resulted in a guaranteed bucket or trip to the free throw line nearly every time.
If Njegovan returns, Ohio State will gladly take him back and allow him to compete for a spot in the rotation coming off the bench. But the Buckeyes cannot enter the season with their two available centers being Njegovan and Ojianwuna.
A bench forward/bench wing
This is more of a “projected” need, based on who could leave the program and where gaps could be created on the roster. “Bench forward or wing” realistically could be a shooting guard, a small forward, or a power forward, depending on who the Buckeyes lose over the next week or two.
We know that Brandon Noel and Puff Johnson are gone — indisputable facts. When he was healthy, Noel played mostly power forward, with a little small ball center mixed in early in the season before that injury. Puff Johnson is listed as a guard on ESPN, but played both the shooting guard and small forward spots for Ohio State.
We also know that the two guys coming in to “replace” those roster spots (guaranteed) are Alex Smith and Anthony Thompson — two freshmen.
Now, what happens with guys like Taison Chatman, Devin Royal, and Amare Bynum will really dictate what position will be the greatest need. If the Buckeyes lose Chatman to the portal (hypoethically speaking), but are able to keep Royal and Bynum around, then they’re probably pretty set at power forward and should focus on adding a taller off-ball guard/small forward type.
If they’re able to keep Chatman, but (hypothetically) lose one of Bynum or Royal, then Diebler and the staff should probably try to add someone with more size who can play one of the forward spots — especially if they lose Royal. Looking at power forward specifically, Ohio State would have Bynum, Smith, and Thompson who are capable of playing that spot if they can’t retain Royal — adding some experience to that position would not hurt.
So, a bit vague on this third one, but there will be a need here once we know who — if anybody — decides to transfer out.
