It’s a big weekend in Columbus, with top-ranked Texas taking on No. 3 Ohio State inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The defending national champions kick off their campaign by tangling with Heisman hopeful Arch Manning, who appeared in 10 games last season but was the primary backup to Quinn Ewers. Julian Sayin, a former five-star recruit out of Carlsbad, California, will make his first collegiate start.
The biggest game of Week 1 also presents a huge recruiting opportunity for the Ohio State
men’s basketball program as well. Jake Diebler and the coaching staff are welcoming five recruits to campus this weekend, all of whom will tour the campus, watch Ohio State take on Texas, and get to know the coaching staff a bit better. Those five recruits are:
- Five-star PF Anthony Thompson (2026)
- Four-star PG Marcus Johnson (2026 Ohio State commit)
- Five-star SF Demarcus Henry (2027)
- Four-star SG Josh Tyson (2027)
- Four-star SG LJ Smith (2027)
Last week, Connor and Justin debated whether Ohio State will have any NBA Draftees next year. Justin argued that the Buckeyes won’t have anyone selected in the 2026 NBA Draft, while Connor said that incoming freshman A’mare Bynum will be the only one selected in the draft next summer. Last year, John Mobley was considered a potential second-round pick for most of the season, and Bruce Thornton did, in fact, enter the draft (before withdrawing and returning before the deadline.
Diebler and his staff don’t have any 2027 commits yet and will look to build a foundation with several players in that class this weekend. At the same time, he’ll be trying to close Anthony Thompson, a top-10 player going into his senior season who has Ohio State among his final list of schools.
This week’s question: What is the most important men’s basketball recruiting visit this weekend?
Connor: Anthony Thompson
Ohio State was recruiting Thompson when he was still playing at Lebanon High School years ago — back when Chris Holtmann was still running the program. Now standing at 6-foot-8 and just over 200 pounds, Thompson possesses guard skills, ball control, and is one of the very best shooters in the class, all at the size of a power forward. Thompson is a plug-and-play type of player — if he ends up in Columbus, he will start immediately.
However, the Buckeyes are fighting an uphill battle to land him, despite Thompson being one of the rare elite prospects to remain in Ohio his entire collegiate career. After starting at Lebanon, he transferred to Western Reserve Academy in northeast Ohio last season and will finish high school there this season.
Along with Ohio State, Thompson is also considering Kentucky, North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Purdue, and Indiana.
This would be a huge commitment for Ohio State, which has not struggled to finish as one of the final three or four schools for several recruits lately, but has struggled to close on every single big-time recruit over the past several months. It’s good that the Buckeyes are always being considered, but there’s no partial credit being given away in recruiting.
Thompson is a big, sharpshooting forward who isn’t 18 yet and will likely get taller and bigger before he begins college. He’s the type of recruit Diebler and Holtmann before him both struggled to land historically, but there’s a prime opportunity this weekend to build some goodwill and rise up the ranks for Thompson as he gets closer to a decision.
Justin: LJ Smith
Landing Anthony Thompson would be amazing, but when you are up against North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, and others, it may be tough, even if he currently plays in Ohio.
So, I am going to pivot.
One of the fastest risers in the 2027 class will be on Ohio State’s campus for the second time this month on Saturday, and is a player that the Buckeyes and Jake Diebler have a huge interest in.
LJ Smith is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard from the prestigious Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. According to 247 Sports, he is ranked No. 26 overall, the No. 2 combo guard, and the No. 2 player in Virginia in the 2027 class.
According to Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch, head coach Jake Diebler called Smith and offered him on the first day he could. Jardy also said that he has a tie to Ohio, with his mother’s family being from Cincinnati, and they are all Ohio State fans.
As a sophomore, he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3 assists at Lincolnton, North Carolina, before he transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his final two seasons of high school ball.
He visited Ohio State on an official visit on Aug. 2, and now will be back on Saturday for an unofficial visit.
Smith is likely going to be a top 20 recruit and fringe five-star prospect when the final rankings come out next year. He is a great player to build a recruiting class around, and if they land him to add to Marcus Johnson and Alex Smith in the 2026 class, they will be set up nicely for the next three years.
